Vanessa German and Jessie Montgomery

Audio May 23, 2022
A sculpture depicts a human figure made from found objects, with a glass bottle forming the head, doll parts forming the limbs, and adornments made from items including beads, fabric, an electrical outlet, and the framed slave ownership photograph of a woman named Delilah.
Vanessa German, Toaster, 2011, Carnegie Museum of Art

“I am in Love with the deep survival, elastic resilience and ordinary, creative, genius of Black People.”
Vanessa German

“… music is a meeting place at which all people can converse about their unique differences and common stories. ”
Jessie Montgomery

Carnegie Museum of Art is delighted to bring you artwork from our collection whose stories and themes connect with the sounds you will hear from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. We hope you enjoy experiencing this work of art alongside the performance.

Pittsburgh-based artist Vanessa German and New York-based composer Jessie Montgomery both share the common sentiment that art and music can heal and strengthen communities. They energetically weave past and present together to create a more open and collective future for all. German’s power figures recall Nkisi nkondi placed in a modern context while Montgomery’s Source Code finds inspiration in the African American artists prominent during the Civil Rights era.

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