Havana Time: a Conversation with Dara Haskins & James Claiborne

Philadelphia-based curator and cultural worker James Claiborne is joined by visual artist Dara Haskins for a conversation exploring Haskins’ 2019 series of paintings, entitled Havana Time. This dialogue centers on time both Haskins and Claiborne separately spent in Havana, Cuba, and looks to explore issues of normalcy, visibility, and community. Produced as a meditation on Haskins’ 2019 residency in Havana, this series of paintings continues Haskins’ exploration of the Black Queer body, and is inspired by Afro-Cuban religion and culture, the stunning backdrop of the city of Havana, and the community and connections held there by both Haskins and Claiborne.

This event is part of Fleisher’s Social Activism Through Art series. It is open to the public with a suggested donation of $10 but is limited to maximum number of 100 participants. Advanced registration is required. This event will be hosted through Zoom, which can be accessed on desktop and laptop computers, as well as mobile devices. We highly recommend downloading the Zoom app to your device in advance. You will receive a URL to join the discussion after you complete the registration process.

Dara Haskins artist statement:
My work has been impacted by the surroundings of living in Vedado and Old Havana Cuba. Originating from an important part of my painting process that lies between connecting historical content to the contemporary spaces, and how that relationship coexists. Havana Time is my complete reflection of the month I lived there. It is inspired by the Afro-Cuban religion, African art, location, and music. This series explores a reflected story of intimacy, color, joy, and Afro-Cuban culture. From Photographs and sketches, I composed 16-20 small to large scale oil paintings of surrounding people, places, and objects I navigated daily. Throughout history, the gay black body has been a reflection of racism, underrepresentation, and hardship. I am to challenge that reflection by capturing the essence of what day to day may or may not look like manifesting normalcy and transparency in domestic spaces. I challenge the memory of my work by exaggerating color and structure to create an atmosphere as well as physical elements of figures or objects as being seen or not seen that reflect and question identity.

Dara Haskins (b.1992 Baltimore) Has rooted her practice in Philadelphia working primarily in painting oil portraits and figurative oil and mixed media paintings. Addressing the ways the black body has been represented and looked at throughout history, she challenges the identity of being seen and unseen connecting historical content to contemporary spaces and how that relationship coexists. She is currently working on a series of paintings called quarantine series 2020. It reflects isolation, relationships, and intimacy throughout figurative oil self-portrait paintings in areas in her home and bedroom. Transferring from Anne Arundel community college in 2017 Haskins received her BFA at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 2019. Winning the Franklin C. Watkins Memorial Grant for gifted painters in (2019) and The J Henry Scheidt Memorial Travel Scholarship to Cuba in (2019). She currently lives and works in Philadelphia.

James Claiborne is the Public Programming Manager for the African American Museum in Philadelphia. Prior to his current position at AAMP, James served as the Community Engagement Manager for the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, Program Manager with First Person Arts, and the Editor for Visit Philadelphia’s Philly 360 campaign. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, a non-profit that distributes over $2 million in city funding to the region’s arts organizations. As an independent curator, James founded the gallery program at Art Sanctuary, and has presented exhibitions by a range of artists, including Deborah Willis, James Dupree, Amber Arts, Richard Watson and Barkley Hendricks.