“A State of Art: Maine's Influence on African-American Artists”
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INSIDE: Raleigh on Film; Bethune on Theatre; Burruss on Music; Seckel on the Cultural Scene; Lille on Dance; Strong-Cuevas on Creation; Donaldson on "Maine’s Influence on African-American Artists” Steiner on The Sketch Book (Peeks & Piques!) & Art Criticism; Vos Macdonald on ArtBridge; New Art Books; Short Fiction; Extensive Calendar of Events…and more! ART TIMES Vol. 29 No. 5 Spring 2013 (March/April/May) “A State of Art: Maine’s Influence on African-American Artists” Included artwork was part of a traveling exhibit titled "Evolution: Five Decades of Printmaking" that toured the country October 29-January 17, 2009 American artists established creative there is probably no art school in roots throughout new England, Maine that has had as profound effect including Joshua Johnston, robert on artists of color as the Skowhegan Scott duncanson, Edward Mitch- School of Painting and Sculpture. ell Bannister, Edmonia Lewis and Located in the town of Skowhegan (its henry Ossawa tanner, who worked named derived from the local native under much more difficult circum- American word Skowhegan, which stances than their white counter- means “watching place for fish”, the parts, lacking receptive academies, falls of the nearby Kennebec river museums and patrons, as well as having been a favorite for salmon), social and economic opportunities. the school, since 1946, has sustained there is considerable evidence that summer residency programs where many black artists lived and worked race posed no barrier to learning and in Maine, regardless of hardships creativity and African Americans over many decades. For example, in have played a prominent role in its the 1920s painter Palmer hayden history and development. attended a summer art colony in it was part of the mandate of Boothbay harbor, offering to work Willard Cummings, a new Eng- as a cook in exchange for art lessons. land portrait painter and one of the hayden had grown up in Widewater, school’s founders to reach out to Spirits Watching, 1986 david C. driskell (c) virginia, where he drew pictures black students and bring them to By LEigh DonALDSon of boats plying the Potomac river. Skowhegan. to do so, he approached howard university and between “EvEn during thE most difficult mother. Later, he was sold during Maine’s landscape also inspired him 1947 and 1974, almost 30 of its stu- periods of African-American history, the 1830s to Portuguese slave trad- and he painted several marinescapes, dents attended Skowhegan, most the natural world held potential to be ers in Zanzibar and transported to one of which, the Schooner, won receiving full scholarships. indeed, a source of refuge, sustenance and un- rio de Janeiro on the American brig, him the William E. harmon Founda- the list of African-Americans who compromised beauty”, writes editor, Porpoise, captained by Cyrus Libby tion’s first award for distinguished have attended the school as students Camille t. dungy, in “Black nature: of Scarborough. ultimately arriving Achievement Among negroes lead- (called participants), visiting artists Four Centuries of African-American to Maine, Pedro (meaning “to run ing to his art study in Paris and his and artists in residence is expansive: nature Poetry”. though dungy was away” in his native tongue) was ad- becoming a leading artists during romare Beardon, Elizabeth Catlett, primarily referring to how black po- opted by the Parris family of virgil d. the harlem renaissance. his love gregory Coates, david driskell, ets were influenced by their physical Parris, then the state’s uS Marshal. of ocean vistas and nautical subjects Mel Edwards, david hammons, bell environment, the same can be said of during his life there, he produced led to a series of paintings he created hooks, Jacob Lawrence, glen Ligon, visual artists of color. an autobiographical work of art in on a trip to Brittany, a rugged pen- Whitfield Lovell, Lorraine O’grady, Maine may not be the first place pencil, ink and watercolor on cotton insula of northwest France that may howardena Pindell, Adrian Piper, that comes to mind when thinking linen, depicting his progression from have reminded him of Maine. Of his Martin Puryear, Alison Saar, Betye of African-American artists. names captivity to his life as a free man. this sojourn in Maine, he once remarked, Saar, nari Ward, Carrie Mae Weems, such as Winslow homer, Edward provocative piece, now preserved by “that was a real turning point for and Fred Wilson, among many oth- hopper, John Marin, rockwell Kent the Society for the Preservation of me…i began to realize things and make connections about everything.” ers. no doubt, in appreciation of the and the Wyeth family are more com- new England Antiquities, depicts an Continued on Page 3 monly viewed as prominent in Maine emotional continuum from slavery to art culture. Yet, despite having a freedom: troops marching into rio de black population of less than two Janeiro, the uS frigate raritan sail- CSS Publications, Inc. Support the Arts; PO Box 730 percent, the Pine tree State has been ing north, a view of the gold dome of Enrich your Life a spiritual home for artists for many Boston’s State house on Beacon hill Mt. Marion, NY 12456-0730 decades. and, finally, a tableau of the Parris www.arttimesjournal.com 845-246-6944 Captured in East Africa as a child, family farm in Paris, Maine. Pedro Pedro tovookan Parris was captured tovookan Parris now rests near the in a night attack by a neighboring Parris family plot at the knoll cem- Subscribe to ART TIMES tribe, scattering his family, includ- etery on Paris hill. ing three brothers and his grand- Since the 19th century, African- ART-LITERATURE-DANCE-MUSIC-EXHIBITIONS-THEATRE-FILM-ART-LITERATURE-DANCE-MUSIC Spring 2013 ART TIMES page 2 Peeks and Piques! ART TIMES Commentary and Resource for the Fine & Performing Arts ALthOugh thEY ArE displayed By now, most artists are familiar with gave in) their sketch books were so ART TIMES (iSSn 0891-9070) is published quar- now and then —usually tucked inside my work and know that i am not ‘in enlightening, giving obvious clues to terly by CSS Publications, inc and distributed a vitrine that features memorabilia the business’ of publishing “tell-alls” their finished work. gilot’s was par- along the northeast Corridor primarily through- out the Metropolitan & hudson valley regions, — at a retrospective of some noted that can mean-spiritedly embarrass ticularly interesting in that her tiny Connecticut, Massachusetts and new Jersey. artist, the humble “sketch book” is people and titillate others. Most now books were not only full of drawings, Copies are also available by mail to subscribers but also poems, and comments in and arts organizations throughout the uS and more often than not overlooked, ne- know that i am indeed probing — abroad. Copyright © 2013, CSS Publications, inc. glected, passed over as insignificant but only to uncover the source(s) of what little margins were available; ART TIMES online can be viewed at: arttimesjour- in an artist’s life and work. true, they their creative spirit/output (as i note Angeloch’s less ‘chatty’, but full of nal.com and has a pdf of the current print issue annotations as to color and what the (with images in color), as well as archived critiques, are usually dog-eared, travel-worn, above, many artists — rightly so — reviews, art essays, theatre, film, music, dance es- and pocket-sized, but, at least for are unable or unwilling to translate finished product might or ought to says from 2001. Each month the site is updated with me, sketch books rank very high as their work into words). i say “rightly look like ‘compositionally’ (not sure new essays, videos, advertising and resources. Call for visitor statistics as they change daily. offering some of the most revealing so” since (i’ve found) the glibber they that’s a word) thus, often side-by-side insights i can ever get while i sit in are, the less are they genuine art- sketches of the same scene. Another Publisher: Cornelia Seckel some artist’s studio trying to garner ists. And, i say “genuine” because that stands out in my memory was Editor: raymond J. Steiner enough material for a Profile— and there are a great many talented (and the sketch book / journal of Elizabeth Contributing Writers: henry P. raleigh robert W. Bethune besides, I learn so much about art! Of untalented) craftspeople that know Mowry (PSA) — not for her reluctance ina Cole dawn Lille course i “take in” the artist’s studio how to “sell” their work and few “real” to share it (she readily showed it to Mary Burruss Francine L. trevens surroundings (which tell me a lot) and artists who are aware that “art” (im- me) but for its sheer beauty. At the Subscription rates: time (1986), i urged her to publish uSA: $18 /1 year $34 /2years listen to their words (which tell me a ages) and “language” (words) are two Foreign: $35 /1 year $45 /2 years lot less), but when i get the chance different means of communication. it but do not know if she ever did Contact for Print and Online Advertising rates: to take a peek into a sketch book or Paul Cadmus, for instance, a most (it contained notes and drawings of CSS Publications, inc., PO Box 730, Mt. Marion, two — well it’s something like look- articulate individual on many topics the plants, flowers, and shrubbery nY, 12456. Phone/ Fax (845) 246-6944; around her property made during the email: [email protected] ing into a diary. So private are many never strayed into discussion of his Web site: www.arttimesjournal.com artists’ sketch books, that they often art — except to point out a drawing time her husband was house-bound Advertising reservations are due: Feb 15 Spring hesitate — even refuse — to allow he had done as a child while saying, and she could not leave him alone ).