Thanks to a corporate gift from Quad City Bank & Trust, the Figge Art Museum in Davenport will add the artwork “The Everyday” by artist Latoya Hobbs to its permanent collection.
The gift was inspired by the Figge’s Diversity and Equity Art Fund, established last year to combat what has been called the systemic inequality in the art world.
“The Everyday” is part of Hobbs’ Salt of the Earth series, which centers on “modern matriarchs” and reinforces the artist’s belief that Black women are the preservers of their families, communities, and culture.
“On the heels of launching the Figge’s new Diversity and Equity Art Fund this past summer, this work is the perfect addition to our collection,” said Figge Executive Director and CEO Michelle Hargrave in a news release. “We are honored that Quad City Bank & Trust believes in the Figge’s mission and our efforts to make the museum’s collection more representative of all the people who come to engage with it.”
“The Everyday” has been called a powerful self-portrait that depicts Hobbs along with her two young, homeschooled sons. A reference to the work of the abstract artist Alma Thomas can be seen in the background, helping situate Ms. Hobbs’ work in a larger tradition of female African American art.
Ms. Hobbs’ work is gaining traction in the art world and is currently being featured at museums and galleries in cities across the country, from Minneapolis to Baltimore. Her artwork intends to showcase a more balanced perception of womanhood that dismantles stereotypes. That intention comes through in “The Everyday’s” deceptively simple emotional palette, while its medium — acrylic and collage on canvas — bears out Ms. Hobbs’s mixed-media practice, marrying painting with other artforms.
“The Everyday” is now on display at Gallery 210 at the Figge.
