Assistant professor documents alumnus artist’s legacy
Ellen Tani brings the work of Charles Gaines ’67 to scholarly record and to campus
Carlos Ortiz/RIT
Charles Gaines ’67, left, and Assistant Professor Ellen Tani, right, review an exhibition of Gaines’ work in RIT’s University Gallery. They stand in front of an early painting by Gaines that has not been exhibited for over 50 years.
For many scholars of history, having personal, direct conversations with their chosen figure of study is nothing but an out-of-reach dream. For Ellen Tani, assistant professor of art history, that dream became a reality—and those conversations sparked a thriving creative partnership.
Charles Gaines ’67 (art and design) is an artist, theorist, and retired professor whose use of formulas and systems in art created a pivotal bridge between the early conceptual artists of the 1960s and 1970s and subsequent generations of artists pushing the limits of conceptualism today.
Gaines featured as an Anna Ballarian Visiting Artist
Charles Gaines was selected as one of the Anna Ballarian Visiting Artists this academic year. The Anna Ballarian Visiting Artist Series, named for an alumna of RIT’s School for American Crafts, brings exhibitions and artist engagement to RIT’s campus.
According to Tani, many individuals point to him as an important figure, but—despite the wealth of evidence—there is little published scholarship documenting his contributions to the fields of conceptual and contemporary art.
To remedy this deficit, Tani is drafting the first scholarly monograph on Gaines’ work, Charles Gaines: Black Conceptualism and the Poetics of Systems, set to be published in 2028. In addition to her forthcoming book, Tani also curated the first and only exhibition of the Gaines’ work on RIT’s campus.
“It’s very special that this opportunity has come up at my alma mater,” said Gaines. “As an alum, you have a built-in value for your school, the place where you feel you got much of your art training, and to have that value reflected back to me in the way that it is now is noteworthy.”
Born in 1944, Gaines’ career and impact span more than 50 years. Based in Los Angeles, Gaines’ work has been exhibited at many highly regarded venues, including the National Gallery of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Miami, and Governors Island in New York City. His numerous honors include: earning the Edward MacDowell Medal in 2019; being inducted into the National Academy of Design in 2020 and American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2022; and receiving an honorary doctorate from RIT in 2023.
Tani’s study of Gaines traces back to her Ph.D. dissertation. She was interested in researching African American conceptual art and, as she sought out more information, she found a catalog for a 2005 exhibition titled “Double Consciousness: Black Conceptual Art since 1970.”
Gaines’ work was included in the show, and Tani’s attention was captured by a short excerpt from his 1993 essay, “The Theater of Refusal: Black Art and Mainstream Criticism,” that was republished in the catalog.
Carlos Ortiz/RIT
“Charles Gaines: Anna Ballarian Visiting Artist,” an exhibition curated by Tani, traces a loose arc of Gaines’ career and illustrates his sustained interest in the lyrical potential of logical systems.
“The aesthetic of his artwork—its fairness, austerity, abstractness, and the conceptual nature of it—seemed so distant from the very strong critical voice that I saw in his writing,” said Tani. “I realized that is the space in which the art historian does their work, spanning that distance and fleshing out what that distance means. There is no disconnect between one form in which an artist thinks and another.”
Tani first introduced herself to Gaines in 2012 when she attended a College Art Association Conference. Gaines was speaking on a panel and, after she approached him and expressed interest in his work, the pair set up a Skype call so they could have a more in-depth conversation.
Unlike the traditional relationship between an author and their subject, Tani and Gaines have formed a dynamic creative partnership. This partnership, cultivated over more than a decade, created a unique foundation for her research, and for their friendship.
While respectful of professional boundaries, Tani enjoys sharing her arguments and ideas directly with Gaines, and hearing how her thoughts align, or don’t align, with his own interpretations.
“From our very earliest conversations, our relationship has been about discussions around ideas, not about what information I can extract from this artist about their career. There is a mutual trust and respect we have for one another as intellectuals and creative practitioners,” said Tani.
Gaines added, “I respect Ellen because she’s very smart, such a good writer, and a clear articulator of complex ideas. Being part of this writing project with her is like working with a friend. I have this feeling that she understands me on several levels, not just as a subject of a book.”
Carlos Ortiz/RIT
Gaines and Tani conducted an exhibition tour during Gaines’ visit to campus, giving faculty members and graduate students from the College of Art and Design an opportunity to ask the artist questions about his work and artistic process.
Housed in RIT’s University Gallery, Tani’s exhibition on Gaines loosely traces his career, showcasing his sustained interest in the tension between the logical and lyrical dimensions of systems through printmaking, drawing, and a rare, early painting that has remained unseen for over 50 years. The exhibition was supported by the Anna Ballarian Visiting Artist Series, The RIT College of Art and Design, and Charles Gaines’ Studio.
To bring the exhibition to life, Tani recruited Rebecca Soriano ‘24 (individualized program) as a curatorial assistant. Soriano, who previously assisted Tani with research for her book on Gaines, relished the opportunity.
Soriano currently works as an interpreter, rental coordinator, and collections assistant for Historic Germantown in Philadelphia. She said the experience she gained through working with Tani on this exhibition will be helpful as she continues to build a career working in museums and galleries.
“The project felt intimidating in some ways at first, but it’s been such a good experience that has slowly made me feel more confident in my own knowledge and skill,” she said. “Throughout the whole process, I’ve felt that my voice and contributions matter in these conversations.”
Tani’s forthcoming book on Gaines will explore the artist’s longstanding commitment to systems in the artistic process, positioning his work in relation to the politics of form, language and ideology, representation and the sublime, and epistemic racism. In 2025, Tani received an Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant, which supports writing focused on contemporary visual arts, to support the project.
Read this interview of Gaines by Tani to learn more about the artist, or go to his gallery website. The University Gallery exhibition will be on view through April 10.
