Big Chief Demond Melancon: As Any Means Are Necessary

Check out the African American Museum in Philadelphia’s new exhibition, Big Chief Demond Melancon: As Any Means Are Necessary. The exhibit is rooted in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward, where Big Chief Demond Melancon of the Young Seminole Hunters created his trademark massive glass-beaded suits, as a Black Masker. The traveling exhibit is organized by the Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Earlier this year, Big Chief Demond was awarded The Gibbes Museum and Society 1858’s Prize for Contemporary Southern Art.  On March 22, Big Chief Demond Melancon led a talk about his inspiration for the exhibit at the AAMP. He works with a needle and thread to sew glass beads onto canvas. He began this practice in 1992 when he became part of the Black Masking Culture of New Orleans, a culture whose roots go back more than 200 years. The exhibit’s promotional material notes: “His Suits are sculptural forms based on the size of his body, which is comprised of intricate, hand-sewn beadwork revealing a collective visual narrative.” In 2017, Melancon pioneered the art practice of using age-old beading techniques from the Black Masking Culture. Single tickets are $14 (adults), and $10 (seniors, students & kids, ages 4 to 12); Thursdays to Sundays, 10 a.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST. African American Museum in Philadelphia/ Gallery 3, 701 Arch St.  215-574-0380 or aampmuseum.org.