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History and Tradition
AFRICAN-AMERICAN ART AT THE GEORGIA MUSEUM
Michael Ellison
By Jessica Smith arts@flagpole.com
Reflecting shifting cultural and political
landscapes for African-American artists,
“Expanding Tradition: Selections from
the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson
Collection” is an astounding exhibition
diverse in style and rich in history. While
some images are tied to pivotal eras like
the Great Depression and Civil Rights
Movement, many others touch on complex
issues regarding race, gender and class.
Currently on view at the Georgia Museum
of Art through Sunday, May 7, the exhibi
tion includes nearly 60 works from the
couple’s collection, a decades-long passion.
Following the appearance of the
Thompsons’ previous traveling exhibition,
“Tradition Redefined,” the couple decided to
donate 100 works to the museum in 2012,
a major announcement that coincided with
UGA’s celebration of the 50th anniversary
of its desegregation. “Expanding Tradition”
continues this commitment toward foster
ing inclusivity in galleries and ensuring that
the narratives of African Americans are
preserved within art history. It also serves
as the inaugural exhibition for Dr. Shawnya
Harris, the museum’s new Larry D. and
Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African-
American and African Diasporic Art.
“Expanding Tradition” offers a survey
of African-American art history through
works spanning from the late 19th Century
through the contemporary era. Impactful
works by historical artists—Elizabeth
Catlett, Charles Sebree, Wilmer Jennings
and Rose Piper—can be found steps away
from pieces by living artists like Kara
Walker, Amalia Amaki, Willie Cole and
Preston Sampson. James Hiram Malone,
whose painting “The Stevedore” appears
on this week’s cover of Flagpole, was born
nearby in Winterville and served as a com
munity activist and crucial member of the
Atlanta arts scene for many years.
Both the exhibition and its accompa
nying catalog include biographical para
graphs—a rare practice for wall labels, but
one that offers valuable insight into the
artist’s personal backgrounds, academic
achievements and cultural contributions.
Many of these artists have doubled as edu
cators, activists and pioneers, and recogniz
ing their hardships and accomplishments is
essential to the larger discussion.
“Expanding Traditions” flows in
a loosely chronological way, opening
with several works by artists who were
employed through the Works Progress
Administration’s Federal Art Project, which
supported artistic production during the
Great Depression. This placed some artists
in a position where they could depict the
experiences of marginalized groups. Hale
Woodruff’s “Poverty and Prosperity,” for
example, depicts a man idly seated on a
waterfront with skyscrapers in the distance,
suggesting the disappointment felt by many
African Americans who migrated to north
ern cities in hopes of better opportunities.
A section for abstraction is full of color
ful and intriguing creations, like Freddie
Styles’ “Working Roots” painting, which
utilized plant roots to make a dense growth
of gestural markings over a red canvas—a
process suggesting connections to Georgia
red clay, as well as African spiritual prac
tices. The exhibition closes out with a collec
tion of contemporary works, many of which
take on mixed-media forms, like Benny
Andrew’s haunting “Poverty,” a larger-than-
life but gaunt figure wearing painted fabric
and eating a meager meal collaged from
scraps of painted material.
Reflecting the museum’s dedication
to presenting solo exhibitions by under
recognized African-American artists,
“Michael Ellison: Urban Impressions”
showcases block prints and collage works
by the Atlanta-based printmaker and edu
cator. Also curated by Harris, the exhibi
tion borrows most of its pieces from the
Thompsons’ collection. On view Saturday,
Feb. 18 through Sunday, May 21, the works
represent an important slice of history for
Southern printmaking.
After studying printmaking at the
Atlanta College of Art on the GI Bill, Ellison
went on to graduate with a master’s degree
in visual arts from Georgia State University.
His artistic career was challenged after he
was injured in 1991, but he re-learned his
processes and continued creating work—in
cluding a mural in Atlanta’s Five Points and
multiple solo exhibitions—throughout the
following decade until his death in 2001.
Demonstrating a strong attachment
to place, Ellison’s work frequently depicts
urban landscapes and scenes from Atlanta’s
black community. Observed through the
cluster of people shuffling onto the elevator
depicted in “Ding,” or the people patiently
reading publications in the checkerboard-
floored “Waiting Room,” Ellison has a
unique ability to capture the camaraderie
between strangers sharing mundane expe
riences. Other images focus on personal
relationships, like the couples barbecuing
and taking leisurely strolls through the park
in “Cythera Revisited.” Bursts of bold colors
like magenta and chartreuse catch the eye,
while thick layers of ink create texture.
The Thompsons will visit the museum
for Conversation on Collecting on Thursday,
Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m. The following evening
from 6-9 p.m., the museum will host its
annual Black History Month dinner, which
also includes a gallery tour, live music
by the UGA African-American Choral
Ensemble and an awards ceremony for
Emma Amos and Michael L. Thurmond. ©
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FEBRUARY 15, 2017 | FLAGPOLE.COM H
