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November Issue 2003
Davidson College in Davidson, NC, Features Works by Benjamin Davis and John Hill
The William H. Van Every Gallery at Davidson College in Davidson, NC, presents a first-ever exhibition of works by self-taught, Charlotte, NC, artist Benjamin "Old Folks" Davis (1938-2000). The exhibition will be on view through Dec. 10, 2003. Also on view in the Edward M. Smith Gallery will be drawings by John Hill through Dec. 1, 2003.
Despite a multitude of physical ailments that plagued him toward the end of his life, Benjamin "Old Folks" Davis produced over 300 works of art based on editorial photographs in The Charlotte Observer. His unique paintings chronicle the tumultuous and celebrated cultural events of the 1990's.
Davis was a life-long resident of Charlotte. As a child, he spent a great deal of time with the elders in his community, hence the nickname "Old Folks." Following his graduation from high school, Davis studied architectural drafting at North Carolina A & T University in Greensboro, NC. He returned to Charlotte and was employed as a supervisor for a commercial roofing company for 32 years.
In the early 1990's,
a circulatory ailment required Davis to have both legs amputated
at Duke University Medical Center. As part of his rehabilitation
he learned to carve and paint on wood panels - a technique he
continued to implement long after he returned home to Charlotte.
The therapists at Duke taught Davis to trace images from popular
media (newspapers, magazines, etc.) onto pieces of wood with carbon
paper. Then he etched grooves into the wood with a soldering tool
and used markers and paint to color in the images. A coat of varnish
brought up the color and gave the pieces a final protective coating.
With the help of his wife Bessie, the ever-optimistic Davis set
up a studio in his bedroom and during the final years of his life
produced over 300 unique works of art. The majority of his source
imagery was culled from the editorial photographs of his local
newspaper, The Charlotte Observer. His prolific output
was fueled by a need to " . . .keep his mind occupied."
His oeuvre captures a tumultuous time in our nation's history:
the double-murder trial of O. J. Simpson, the trial of Oklahoma
City bomber Timothy McVeigh, and the inquisition of Bill Clinton
over his sexual encounters with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
His works also celebrate the accomplishments of prominent African-Americans
such as Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey, Spike Lee, and Serena and
Venus Williams.
A full-color gallery brochure with essay by Brooke Davis Anderson, Director and Curator of the Contemporary Center at the American Museum of Folk Art in New York will be available.
Another first will take
place in the Edward M. Smith Gallery with an exhibition of graphite
and ink drawings on paper by emerging artist John Hill.
These meticulous and hyper-sexual drawings of fantastic creatures
in clustered scenarios bring to mind the works of R. Crumb and
Rube Goldberg.
For additional information check our NC Institutional Gallery listings, call the Gallery Director, Brad Thomas, at 704/ 894-2519 or 704/894-2344 weekdays or by e-mail at (brthomas@davidson.edu).
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