An Exhibition from the Collection of CCH Pounder at Xavier University Art Gallery

New Orleans LA - Xavier University of Louisiana is proud to host the exhibition ICONS: Ideals of Black Masculinity, featuring works from the collection of award-winning actress and artist CCH Pounder  in the Administration Building Art Gallery. The exhibit will run through February 28, 2019 and is free and open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday.

The Xavier University and Greater New Orleans Community are invited to experience this extraordinary collection of works by such world-renowned artists as Yinka Shonibare, Kehinde Wiley, Mickalene Thomas, Elizabeth Catlett, Malick Sidibé, and Edouard Duvall Carrié. Presenting a vibrant range of reflections of the Black masculine, this exhibit challenges the viewer to re-examine both traditional gender archetypes and contemporary representation in the media, in order to form a more multifaceted, inclusive image of the nuances and diversity of the Black masculine in today’s global society. 

In September 2018, the second exhibit from The CCH Pounder Collection opened at the Xavier University Center so students and faculty could enjoy and experience a selection of diverse works of art. The exhibit, which includes 18 works, was curated by Ms. Pounder and features such artists as Firelei Baez, Getahun Assafa, Tony Ramos, Kimani Beckford, and Kine Aw, representing art from both Africa and the Diaspora. The current exhibit, located on the second floor of the University Center is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday.

ICONS: Ideals of Black Masculinity marks the third exhibit from The CCH Pounder Collection at Xavier University in less than two years.

Award-winning actress CCH Pounder is known an accomplished veteran of stage, screen and TV. From her breakout role in BAGDAD CAFÉ, to her roles on the critically acclaimed FX series, THE SHIELD, Syfy’s WAREHOUSE 13, SONS OF ANARCHY, ER, THE X-FILES, LAW & ORDER: SVU and HBO's THE NO. 1 LADIES' DETECTIVE AGENCY, as well as films such as BAGDAD CAFÉ, PRIZZI'S HONOR, POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE, and AVATAR, Ms. Pounder has become one of the most recognized dramatic actors of her time. Most recently, Ms. Pounder, a four-time Emmy nominee, has also become familiar to New Orleans locals for her role as “Dr. Loretta Wade” on the CBS series, NCIS: NEW ORLEANS. A graduate of Ithaca College, she received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the school and was their 2010 Commencement Speaker.

Pounder serves on the Board of the African Millennium Foundation and was a founding member of Artists for a New South Africa. An advocate of the arts, she is active in the Creative Coalition and recent accolades for Pounder include the Visionary Leadership Award in Performing Arts from the Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD) in San Francisco, the 2015 Carney Awards, the Lifetime Achievement Award from Chase Brexton Health Care in Baltimore, 2015 Honoree at the Grand Performances Gala in Los Angeles, the 2016 SweetArts Performing Arts honoree from the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, the National Urban League’s 2017 Women of Power Award and the 2018 Bob Marley Award from AFUWI (American Foundation for the University of the West Indies).