WEBVTT KAREN: TODAY ON "CITYLINE," SUGGESTIONS TO ENJOY BOSTON'S ART FESTIVALS. PLUS, HAVING THE NEIGHBORHOOD RECOGNIZED AS THE CULTURAL DISTRICT. ♪ HELLO, I AM CARING AND WELCOME TO "CITYLINE." RESIDENTS OF ROXBURY ARE TEAMING UP TO MAKE THE CASE AS THE CULTURAL DESTINATION FOR MASSACHUSETTS. FIRST, WITHIN THE HALLS OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY, AFRICAN-AMERICAN ART HAS THEIR NEW EXHIBIT, WITH 33 WORKS ON DISPLAY NOW, THROUGH JULY 16 WITH VARIOUS SCULPTURES, PAINTINGS AND ART PIECES. AS THE COOPER GALLERIES INAUGURAL SUMMER EXPOSITION, IT HAS THOUGHTS FROM AFRICAN-AMERICAN ARTISTS AND IT TOUCHES ON A PLETHORA OF SOCIAL DIALOGUE. WE WELCOME THIS GRAND BACK TO TELL US -- MISS GRAND BACK TO TELL US ABOUT THE WONDERFUL EVENT. HOW ARE YOU? MISS GRANTS: THAN : THANK YOU. KAREN: EXPLAIN THE VARIETY OF ART WE WILL SEE. MISS GRANT: IT IS A PITA FOR CONTEMPORARY ART AND THERE ARE THREE PERMANENT PIECES FROM OUR COLLECTION THAT WE WANTED TO PUT ON VIEW. THEY ARE EXTRAORDINARY GIFTS FROM MY DONORS AND THEY HAVE BEEN IN STORAGE, SO THESE THREE PIECES ARE THE KIND OF WAY THAT WE CAME TO THE CONCEPT OF THESE WORKS OF ART, BY LOOKING AT COMMON ELEMENTS IN THEIR STRATEGIES. KAREN: MY NIECE AND I HAD A CHANCE TO VISIT THE EXHIBITS OVER THE WEEKEND. IS THAT FIRST PIECE THE SIGNATURE PIECE? THI --MISS GRANT: THIS IS FROM 2010, AND THIS IS A THREE-DIMENSIONAL SCULPTURE, A MANNEQUIN, AND A IS SIDE, BY SIDE-BY-SIDE AND THIS IS A YOUNG GIRL, AND THIS IS FROM HER IMAGINATION AND IT COMBINES THE IDEAS OF GLOBALIZATION IN FOOD PRODUCTION. SHE HAS A SACK OF MANGOES ON HER BACK AND SHE IS BRINGING THEM TO SOMEONE WITH THESE EXTRAORDINARY PIECES. KAREN: VERY STRIKING. WHAT OTHER SIGNATURE PIECES CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT? MISS GRANT: WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL SUIT. THIS IS WHERE THE END OF THE EXHIBITION, AT THE END AND KIND ACCOMMODATING THE CONCEPTUAL SHOW. IT IS ALMOST SEVEN FEET TALL. IT IS OF MIXED MEDIA , DRUGS, OTHER HEAVY FABRICS AND THIS PIECE STANDS LIKE A GUARD OF THE GALLERY, AND IT IS THE CAVE OF CONSTRUCTED SOUND SUITS. THIS MAKES IT UNIQUELY SPECIAL. KAREN: THAT LAST PIECE REMINDS ME OF A WARRIOR. MISS GRANT: FANTASTIC. THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THE WARRIOR AND ARMOR IN THIS CONSTRUCTIONIST SUED THAT SHIELDS YOUR IDENTITY RACIALLY, BY GENDER AND YOU CAN EXPRESS INDIVIDUALITY. KAREN: WE TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE OTHER IMAGES. TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF BRINGING ART SHOWS TO THE COOPER GALLERY. MISS GRANT: FIRST, WE WANTED TO TRY A BIT OF A DIFFERENT EXPOSITION. ONE THAT WOULD BRING A BIT OF THE ACADEMIC DISCOURSE OF ART INTO THE SHOW. SOME OF THE PIECES ARE QUITE PROVOCATIVE. THEY PUSH PEOPLE ALONG THE LINES OF SEXUALITY, THERE ARE PROVOCATIVE WORDS IN THE SHOW BECAUSE YOU CAN FIND TEXT AND TEXTILES, AND THEY GO TO TRAUMATIC INCIDENCES. WE WANTED TO HOLD THIS SPACE WITH ARTISTS THINK ABOUT THESE AREAS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO SHOW. KAREN: IS THERE SOME IMPORTANCE IN TERMS OF THE TEXTILES, THE KIND OF TEXTILES THAT ARE USED AND THEIR IMPORTANCE TO AFRICAN-AMERICANS? MISS GRANT: JUST THE IDEA OF TEXTILES PUSHING UP THIS IDEA AGAINST CATEGORIES OF WHAT IS ART AND WHAT ISN'T. WE ARE PLAYING WITH THAT BY PUTTING PIECES THAT ARE CONSIDERED FINE ART TO IT THESE EXTRAORDINARY TEXTILES RATE ON THE AFRICAN LANDSCAPE, SO WE HAVE PIECES FROM KENYA, A BEAUTIFUL PRESTIGE CLOTH, AND WE THINK IT HOLDS NICELY WITH OTHER PIECES THAT CARRY GERMANIC IDEAS. KAREN: THE GALLERY HAS A VAST COLLECTION. THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE WORKS YOU HAVE. TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PRIVATE COLLECTIONS. MISS GRANT: THIS IS AN OBLIGATION THAT WE HAVE. QUITE OFTEN, OUR INSTITUTIONS HAVE SELECTIONS THAT REMAIN UNSEEN, 90% OF THEM, BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A LIMITED SPACE. OUR COLLECTION IS STILL GROWING. WE DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE THEM HIDDEN, SO WE ARE DELIGHTED TO COME SHARE AND BRING THE COLLECTION OUT AND LET THE PUBLIC ENJOY THEM AND ENGAGE WITH THEM. KAREN: SO MUCH MORE TO BE SEEN THAT HAS YET TO BE REVEALED. WE HOPE -- MISS GRANT: WE HOPE TO SURPRISE YOU AT THE COOPER GALLERY. KAREN: THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. THE ETHELBERT COOPER GALLERY IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FROM 10:00 TO 5:00 FROM TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY AND ART IS ON DISPLAY FROM NOW UNTIL JULY 16. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR MORE ARTS, WCVB WILL HAVE FREE FUN FRIDAYS WITH CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS OFFERING FREE ADMISSION EVERY FRIDAY THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER. YOU CAN FIND A LIST OF WHAT IS FREE ON THE COMMUNITY PAGE ON WCVB.COM. WE WILL BE RIGHT BACK.