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November Issue 2006
Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston Offers Works by Michael Cunningham
Each picture tells a poignant story in the exhibition Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats, on view at the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC, through Jan. 14, 2007. The exhibition features 30 photographs by Michael Cunningham, five hats and one purse, all of which illustrate the inspiring stories of regal women and the crowns that they wear. The arresting visuals in the exhibition are enhanced by commentary by Craig Marberry that explores the African-American tradition of wearing marvelous hats to worship.
"Countless black women would rather attend church naked than hatless," writes Craig Marberry in the book, Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats. "For these women, a church hat, flamboyant as it may be, is no mere fashion accessory; it's a cherished African American custom, one observed with boundless passion by black women of various religious denominations. A woman's hat speaks long before its wearer utters a word. It's what Deirdre Guion calls 'hattitude' - there's a little more strut in your carriage when you wear a nice hat. There's something special about you."
If a hat says a lot about a person, it says even more about a people - the customs they observe, the symbols they prize and the fashions they fancy.
Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats is sponsored by Gibbes, Etc. and Star 99.7 fm.
For further info check our SC Institutional
Gallery listings, call the Museum at 843/722-2706 or at (www.gibbesmuesum.org).
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