Giving You the Best That I Got

Giving you the best that I got highlights images and narratives of Black mothers, from pregnancy to the forever journey of what it means to be a mother. The sacred relationship between mother and child has shaped many artistic expressions throughout history, yet the nuanced experiences and attitudes around Black mothers in contemporary art remains underdocumented. This exhibition features not only artists who make work that intentionally foregrounds Black women and matrilineal histories, it also includes others whose work shows an appreciation for them through themes of nostalgia, care, and cultural inheritance.

Giving you the best that I got includes works by Derrick Adams, Kwame Brathwaite, Bisa Butler, Karon Davis, Kenturah Davis, Lanise Howard, February James, Ashley January, Shaniqwa Jarvis, Jill Knox, Lex Marie, Danielle Mckinney, Helina Metaferia, Calida Rawles, Harmonia Rosales, Jamel Shabazz, Ferrari Sheppard, Shefon N. Taylor, Sydney Vernon, Ciarra K. Walters, and Carrie Mae Weems.

Giving you the best that I got is curated by Dominique Clayton, independent curator and founder of Dominique Gallery, and is co-presented by the California African American Museum and Art + Practice as part of CAAM at A+P, a five-year collaboration.