Miami MoCAAD Watch Party - Art Talk Featuring Mark Thomas Gibson

Hosted by the Barnes Foundation & Miami MoCAAD—this program features Miami-born artist Mark Thomas Gibson in conversation with James Claiborne, deputy director for community engagement at the Barnes. Gibson, now based in Philadelphia, works across a range of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, and prints, to deliver incisive, witty, and visually compelling commentary on American culture. Join us as Gibson discusses his creative process as well as his experience participating in Miami MoCAAD’s , an augmented and virtual reality exhibition exploring contemporary Black existence.

• 5:00pm - Doors open
• 5:00-6:00pm - Mix and mingle, light refreshments
• 6:00-7:00pm - Conversation with Mark Thomas Gibson, Artist and James Claiborne, Curator, the Barnes Foundation
• 7:00-8:00pm - Mix and mingle, light refreshments

Gibson is an acclaimed visual artist whose work explores contemporary culture and reveals a distinct vision of a satirical, dystopian America. He received a BFA from the Cooper Union in 2002 and an MFA from Yale School of Art in 2013. Gibson’s recent solo exhibitions were at Sikkema Jenkins & Co. (2023) and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (2023). His books include Some Monsters Loom Large (2016) and Early Retirement (2017). Gibson is an assistant professor of painting at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture. Photo by Ryan Collerd. Courtesy of the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage

As deputy director for community engagement at the Barnes, Claiborne works to build and strengthen relationships with arts and programming partners in the Philadelphia region and beyond. An experienced curator and educator, he is responsible for developing and leading a variety of public programs, family programs, and community engagement activities. In 2023, Claiborne co-curated the Barnes exhibition William Edmondson: A Monumental Vision and the installation Returning to Before, created by artist Brendan Fernandes in response to Edmondson’s work.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

AMPERSAND STUDIOS, 31 Northeast 17th Street, Miami, United States