Harlem Community News recently had the privilege of attending a private event and tour of the “Flight Into Egypt” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art at a time when the museum is usually closed to the public.
The Flight Into Egypt exhibition takes visitors on a multi-sensory exploration of nearly 150 years of artistic and cultural production, connecting ancient Egypt to Black American artists and other agents of culture through visual art, sculpture, literature, music, scholarship, religion, politics, and performance. For the first time in Met history, live performance is an integral part of an exhibition.
Before the presentation, we enjoyed a continental breakfast with assorted pastries, including tasty croissants, a variety of muffins, cinnamon buns, and hot beverages. At the same time, a live classical pianist played in the background.
We were greeted and welcomed to the event by Heidi Holder, Frederick P. and Sandra P. Rose Chair of Education, who introduced us to Akili Tommasino and Chet Gold, one of the exhibiting artists. Akili Tommasino is the Curator of the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Met and the Flight Into Egypt exhibition curator. Noting their friendship of many years, Tommasino spoke fondly of Chet Gold, especially when describing how Chet was with him from conception to execution of the Flight Into Egypt exhibition idea which had been in the works for six years.
Born and raised in the Bronx and a product of New York City public schools, Chet Gold is thrilled to see his work exhibited at the Met and included in a first-time- in-history Met exhibition event. Chet spoke about his early interest in art and candidly told us how he would cut class and find himself admiring Egyptian Art in the Egypt section of the Met, which he still finds fascinating. He majored in art and painting at the highly regarded Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. He later attended Pratt Institute for painting and illustration.
As luck would have it, Chet landed a job as a security officer at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where he met Akili Tommasino, a curator. Taking advantage of the opportunity while working security, Chet spent two years learning the art world inside and out. Those two years supercharged his ambition and desire for his own career as an artist as he continued to create. His work, “Mirror Malcolm,” is part of the Flight Into Egypt exhibition. Not bad for a kid from the Bronx who dreamed of becoming a successful artist. Chet continues to explore his love of art, and he is currently the Associate Director of Security for the soon-to-be-reopened Studio Museum of Harlem.
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