May Issue 2002
Noel Gallery in Charlotte, NC, Features Works by Willie Little
Willie Little is
a dynamic storyteller who continues to invite us to share his
memories and impressions of eastern North Carolina. His exhibit,
Black As..., will be on view at the Noel Gallery in Charlotte,
NC, from May 3 through June 25, 2002.
Little first welcomed us into his father's Juke Joint with a full-scale installation, (juke box, pigs feet and all!). He intimately introduced us to his family's tobacco farm in the series entitled Kin Folks. There we met Grandma Flora Ann and cousin Cake not to mention Cousin Lee Wilson, whom he lovingly referred to as the Chitterling Queen. Most recently we peered Through the Window into His Grandmother's Garden in a tender exhibit which revealed the secrets of her garden bounty. Now we broach a new subject as we dare to walk with him through stereotypes and oral tête-à-têtes of the "old south".
Black As... is a body of work that consists of multimedia assemblages, oil on canvas paintings and constructions. With Grandma Flora Ann as his consistent muse, Little lifts her phrases and vivid expressions to describe the wonderment of the quintessential black beauty.
Before the "Black is Beautiful" movement of the 1960's, generations of dark-skinned African Americans were the brunt of racial slurs and insults from within and without the Black community. Those with healthy appreciation for their dark hues learned to combat the slurs with vivid colorful retorts. Grandma would say, "The blacker the berry the sweeter the juice". As she grew older and more lovely she would remind her fairer companions that "Good black don't crack".
In this new body of work, Little uses black nodder doll banks, which ironically were made in Japan in the 1940s and 50s, sold to and marketed by white America yet classified as Black Americana. Nickels, pennies and dimes, deposited on the premise that these black faces would remain a joke now net hundreds, thousands and millions on fashion runways and magazine covers in contemporary society. These nodder dolls, considered "collector's items", became a mirror to the evolution of society's appreciation and value for the beauty of Black skin.
Little splendidly blends his charm, humor and familiarity of rural colloquialisms to reclaim and embrace these descriptions with loving affection. "Black as a thousand midnights", "Blue-black", "Black as the Me of Spades", "Jet Black", "Black as Tar", "Black as Coal".... , once barbs that reeled liked four letter words are now emancipated. In doing so he again presents the image and challenges their conventional notions.
A master of constructions, Little cleverly juxtaposes these precious nodder dolls with recognized consumer products to pose social satire. With products such as Carolina Beauty Blackberries, Hershey's Sweet Chocolate and Esquires Boot Black polish which proudly states "Resists rub-off", the series ultimately allows us to look beyond the stereotype to see and embrace the beauty of the hue.
For more information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings or call the gallery at 704/343-0050 or on the web at (www.noelgallery.com).
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