MoAD’s physical building may be closed due to the mandatory shelter-in-place, but you can still get your fill of art and artists of the African Diaspora. Each Wednesday at 1:00 pm PST, join MoAD staff members as we visit some of our favorite artists in their studios to see what they’re currently working on and how their work is changing as a result of the quarantine. This is a rare opportunity to hear from artists directly from their studios.

We will follow all talks with an audience Q&A.

Like many African American families, Yashua Klos’ family migrated from the South to the North in search of furthering their American Dream. His family landed in Detroit and has worked for generations at the Ford Motors Auto Plant. Diego Rivera depicted this auto plant with faceless white male factory workers in his 'Detroit Industry Mural' (1933).

In his current body of work, Klos uses Rivera’s mural as the scaffolding for his own family tree tapestry, where he inserts portraits of his Black family. This tapestry will debut at his first solo museum exhibition at the Wellin Museum in Fall 2022, along with a large wood sculpture, and several smaller tapestries.

Klos’ works have been shown in museums and galleries across the states and internationally, including the Studio Museum of Harlem, the Weatherspoon Museum, Greensboro, North Carolina, and Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Klos’ works have been reviewed in the NY Times, and he’s been awarded residencies at Skowhegan, The Vermont Studio Center, and Bemis. He is the recipient of a 2014 Joan Mitchell Fellowship and a 2015 NYFA grant. Klos is represented by Tilton Gallery in New York and Galerie Anne De Villepoix in Paris.

Yashua Klos lives and works in Brooklyn.

Generous support for this project provided by Art Bridges and the Westridge Foundation

This series is supported by the Facebook Art Department, UNTITLED, Art Fairs and The Art Report.