‘To receive recognition on an institutional level this early in my career was a boon to my professional practice.’

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Mounted on the right wall of the opening room are “Value Test: Brown Paper,” Mary W.D. Graham’s two radiant oil portraits. Brown paper, once a test tool for racial exclusion, clings to each canvas beneath the painted faces. […]

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Key Jo Lee, chief curator at MoAD, says the committee was impressed by Graham’s technique as well as the relevance of her work. ‘This idea is so endemic to the African American community specifically, although colorism impacts all communities,’ Lee said. ‘But she’s able to utilize these almost Renaissance techniques—her handling of oil paints is really, really gorgeous, and it makes a very contemporary point.‘

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The beautifully painted faces look at you and tell stories of grandmothers and great grandmothers with their gaze; some smile, while others look out onto the gallery with a strong conviction that comforts like an embrace, or the soft kiss of an elder on your cheek as you lean down to greet them after the long journey home. […] Graham’s paintings remind us that these ideas of color are tied to the origins of this country as well as to our own family histories.

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