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February Issue 2006
Spartanburg County Museum of Art in Spartanburg, SC, Offers Several New Exhibits
The Spartanburg County Museum of Art in Spartanburg, SC, is pleased to announce four new exhibits. An exhibition of photography by Richard Samuel Roberts focuses on the black middle class of Columbia, SC, during the early 20th century. The Pursuit of Truth, a bilingual exhibit by Shanghai-born painter Li Hu, examines the madness of humanity from a post-Maoist perspective, and David J.P. Hooker's ceramic musings, Meditations in Clay, give a not so subtle nod to traditional Carolina face jugs. A fourth exhibit, Works from The Steven Harvey Southern Collection, includes works by Archibald John Motley, Jr. , Wayman Adams, Elliott Daingerfield, Edward Middleton Manigault, Hattie Saussy and William Posey Silva.
Richard Samuel Roberts (1880-1936) worked from 4am to noon for the United States Postal Service and then walked to his photography studio in the African-American commercial district in segregated Columbia. A self-taught photographer, his masterful manipulation of light and composition separated his portraits from those of his contemporaries. Admired not only for its aesthetic value, Roberts' work offers a revealing glimpse at the richness and diversity of the black middle class during the 1920s and 1930s.
This exhibit, on loan by The Columbia Museum of Art, showcases Roberts' fine portraits of some of his community's most prominent citizens. Thomas L. Johnson, co-editor of the book A True Likeness - The Black South of Richard Samuel Roberts: 1920 - 1936 worked for two years uncovering the stories behind the images. Johnson will be available every Sunday in Feb. from 3-4:30pm at the Museum of Art to informally talk about the collection. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase at that time. The exhibit continues through Feb. 26, 2006.
Featured in The Burwell Gallery, Li Hu's exhibit, The Pursuit of Truth, continues through Mar. 5, 2006. Since immigrating to the United States from his native China, Hu has had more than 35 solo exhibitions in 26 states. His work demonstrates his belief that "art is not only for personal enjoyment - it should make a contribution. It should help change society."
Through his art, Hu highlights the darkness of human nature, forcing his viewer to "admit the madness of human conflict." Text for this show will be available in Chinese as well as English, continuing the Museum of Arts' bilingual exhibition program.
At once deeply serious and seriously whimsical, Meditations in Clay by former Carolina resident David J.P. Hooker combines his love of clay and his fascination with South Carolina face jugs to create unique works of art that blend the "haunted" and the "almost sacred." Hooker writes, "my work reflects my search for honesty: in my vision, my material, and myself... It is my hope that the finished work will reflect the juxtaposition between that slow, deliberate process and the energetic frenzy of modern life." The show continues through Feb. 19, 2006.
In association with
The Charleston Renaissance Gallery, The Spartanburg Museum of
Art presents an exhibition of works from The Steven Harvey Southern
Collection. Steven Cabot Barnes Harvey (1949 1993) was a
scholar and collector of American fine and decorative arts. His
sister, Linea Harvey described her brother as having "a great
passion for and an omniscient knowledge of all things Southern.
" According to Linea, "When Steven was once asked why
he collected art, he replied that he did not have the talent to
paint, but he did have the talent to collect."
For more info check our SC Institutional Gallery listings, call the
Museum at 864/582-7616 or at (www.spartanburgartmuseum.org).
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