Monumental Color: Cecily Brown, Sam Gilliam, and Joan Mitchell brings together significant artworks by three quintessential abstract artists. Through the performance series Monumental Connection, featured artists engage in dialogue with performers whose work resonates with Sam Gilliam’s love for jazz, Joan Mitchell’s lifelong connection to poetry, and the frenetic physicality of Cecily Brown’s paintings.
One of the great innovators of postwar American painting, Sam Gilliam (1933-2022) once said, “before painting, there was Jazz.” He appreciated not only the freeform sounds, but the freedom with which the musicians moved, referring to the “acrobatics” of improvisation. Join us for a solo saxophone performance by emerging bandleader Houston Patton in Larson Gallery.
Saxophonist Houston Patton is a jazz musician born and raised in Metro Detroit. Following his father’s footsteps, Houston began playing the saxophone at a very young age. Houston has explored many genres ranging from gospel to hard bop under the mentorship and tutelage of saxophonists such as Harry Patton, Daryl Beebe, Jordan Vanhemert, Wendell Harrison, and Andrew Bishop.
In April 2024, Houston Patton released his first album as a Bandleader entitled “Here We Are” by Quintessential, now out on most streaming platforms. In December 2024, Patton received a BFA in Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation from the University of Michigan. In February 2025, Patton made Detroit history by being the youngest bandleader to host a residency at Cliff Bell’s.
This event is free with museum admission.
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