Best University Exhibition

"The Preboste Juan (King Juan)," Clara Morera

The Afro-Cuban artist and activist José Antonio Aponte was tried and executed in Havana after being linked to an antislavery conspiracy in 1812. Aponte’s Book of Paintings was lost after his beheading, but his descriptions of it remain. It portrayed Black kings and warriors, biblical stories and even librarians. Some claim it was a roadmap to revolution, others a vision for a future Black kingdom, and others a promotion of Ethiopian history. In Visionary Aponte, 20 top international artists — previously rarely if ever seen in Nashville — supplied work based on Aponte’s testimony. Combining Caribbean history, revolution and art, the exhibition provided an insightful multimedia encounter. SARA LEE BURD

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