<I>Color(ed) Theory: Flamin' Red Hots</I>
date: label: Date
content: 2014-2016; printed 2020
name: label: Photograph by
content: Amanda Williams, American, born 1974
notes: label: Caption
content: Statement from the artist:
label: Caption
content: “From 2014-2015 Amanda Williams created a contemporary art project called Color(ed) Theory. Amanda covertly and without permission, painted empty houses in and around Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood that were slated for demolition. She developed a unique, culturally coded, monochromatic color palette based on hues found in primarily in consumer products marketed toward Black people along commercial corridors on Chicago’s South Side. The project emphasized how colors have socially constructed associations that are inextricably linked to race and class. The series explored how academic and theoretical definitions of color map across veiled language used in American media/popular culture to describe racially charged city spaces. What color is urban? What color is gentrification? What color is privilege? Williams then photographed each house, calling attention to the architectural details as well as their isolated context.”
label: Description
content: A digital print color photograph of a bright orange painted house set in an otherwise empty grassy space within the landscape of Chicago's South Side. The two-story house has a steep gable roof and a porch that runs the full width of the front. Wooden steps lead up to the front door on the left side and there is wooden lattice along sections of the porch railings and running from the bottom of the porch to the ground, blocking underneath the porch. On the right side of the house is a section of the house set out slightly from the facade, including both the first and second floors, both with large boarded up windows. The door is also boarded up, along with another small window on the second floor. There is a satellite dish attached to the left side of the porch roof. The entire structure has been painted a bright orange except for the brown roof trim, a section of white just above the second floor outset, and bits of the dark second floor window trim. The house stands alone on the block, with empty grassy spaces on both sides. A sidewalk runs in front, parallel to the street. In the far background are a couple of tall trees and a street with cars. To the right is a large, low building with a tall chimney or smoke stack. On the verso in graphite is the photographer's signature and inscription: [Amanda Williams 2014-2016 / COLOR(ED) THEORY: Flamin' Red Hots / Edition of 10].
place: label: Place depicted
content: Englewood, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Advertising
label: Topic
content: Architecture
label: Topic
content: Art
label: Topic
content: Black geographies
label: Topic
content: Communities
label: Topic
content: Design
label: Topic
content: Foodways
label: Topic
content: Housing
label: Topic
content: Photography
label: Topic
content: Race discrimination
label: Topic
content: Urban life
label: Topic
content: Urban planning
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Portfolio/Series
content: Color(ed) Theory Suite, 2014-2016
label: Classification
content: Visual Arts
label: Classification
content: Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
label: Classification
content: Photographs and Still Images
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, purchased through the American Women's History Initiative Acquisitions Pool, administered by the Smithsonian American Women's History Initiative
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2021.36.7
objectType: label: Type
content: digital prints
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © Amanda Williams
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: ink on photographic paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (sheet): 22 × 30 in. (55.9 × 76.2 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (image): 20 × 28 in. (50.8 × 71.1 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (matted): 30 × 36 in. (76.2 × 91.4 cm)