Escort

Name/Title

Escort

Entry/Object ID

2018.19

Description

Gang members in black hoods escorting a child to school

Artwork Details

Medium

Graphite, Watercolor, palmer medium

Context

Jesse Howard’s portraits depict his childhood neighborhood in West Chicago and its inhabitants. Contemporary snapshots of the real-life gang members, homeless, and other characters found in the area, The Gathering and Escort are both prime examples of what Howard calls “illustrations of the most pressing issues of contemporary life.” Here, the artist paints the pressures and anxieties that can come with being an “African American male trapped because of his race or circumstance.” Escort depicts gang members escorting a child to school in the morning, providing a safe passage to the student as they traverse the neighborhood. These safe passage routes have become a reality throughout the city, both by official school districts and not, as a means of guiding students to and from their homes on school days.

Acquisition

Accession

2018.19-20

Source or Donor

Howard, Jesse

Acquisition Method

Purchase

Credit Line

Courtesy of the artist

Made/Created

Artist

Howard, Jesse

Date made

1996

Ethnography

Notes

American

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Location

Recto/BR

Transcription

[Artists Signature] '1996

Notes

Inscription Type: graphite

Lexicon

Getty AAT

Concept

race (group of people), culture-related concepts, power, safety, functional concepts (general)

Hierarchy Name

Associated Concepts (hierarchy name)

Facet

Associated Concepts Facet

Dimensions

Dimension Description

overall; frame

Width

36 in

Length

21-3/4 in