Alpha's Bet Is Not Over Yet
Alpha’s Bet Is Not Over Yet is an interactive reading room and discussion space inspired by the energy and politics of radical, independent Black periodicals published during the first half of the twentieth century. Borne out of "Book Club" (2010), a think tank and reading group organized by artists Steffani Jemison and Jamal Cyrus for Project Row Houses, Houston, Alpha’s Bet investigates language, the written word, self-education, and democratic distributions of knowledge. The newsstand display features complete reproductions of more than five hundred issues of Black periodicals published between 1902 and 1940, including The Crisis: A Record of the Darker Races, The Messenger: World’s Greatest Negro Monthly, Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life, and The Crusader. These publications, which include journalistic, literary, and poetic texts, commercial illustrations, and reproductions of works of art, collectively encapsulate a major slice of twentieth-century Black modernism. The installation is designed to encourage browsing and provides space for both concentrated reading and conversation. The work’s title paraphrases theorist and artist Rammellzee (1960–2010) who argued that language is not a passive vessel but rather possesses the potential to reimagine structures of power.
Artwork Details
- Title: Alpha's Bet Is Not Over Yet
- Artist: Steffani Jemison (American, born Berkeley, California, 1981)
- Artist: Jamal Cyrus (American, born Houston, Texas, 1973)
- Date: 2011
- Medium: Newsstand, chairs, tables, up to 590 facsimiles of Black periodicals published between 1900 and 1940
- Dimensions: Variable
- Classification: Installations
- Credit Line: Purchase, The Ford Foundation Gift, 2024
- Object Number: 2024.421
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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Returned to lender
Steffani Jemison
2025
Kem Weber
Airline Chair Company (Los Angeles, California)
ca. 1934
Marcel Breuer
1925
Charles Eames
Ray Eames
ca. 1952
Multiple artists/makers
2021
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