September Issue 2000
Story Of African American Quilters and Colonial Artist Henry Benbridge at Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC
Quilt designs, photographs and framed images at the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC, will show the ongoing struggles, jubilations and journeys of generations of African Americans in an exhibition entitled A Communion of the Spirits: African American Quilters, Preservers, and Their Stories. The show will open on Sept. 29 and continue through Dec. 28. Also beginning on Sept. 29 is Henry Benbridge (1743-1812): Charleston Portrait Painter. This exhibition will continue through Dec. 31.
A Communion of the Spirits: African American Quilters, Preservers, and Their Stories is a vibrant display in the Gibbes' Alice Smith and Garden Galleries will reveal the significance of quilts in African American culture as it pieces together a variety of traditions and family legacies. This nationally touring exhibition represents more than 25 years of research by national award-winning photojournalist and folklorist Roland L. Freeman. It was produced by The Group for Cultural Documentation, Inc. in Washington, DC.
Quilts pass down cultural family stories. Whether made as something to keep one's feet warm or as an expression of art, some quilts tell histories that are often not written in textbooks. "A Communion of the Spirits" documents the African American quilt makers Freeman met as he toured the nation learning about their quilts and their lives. It contains over 140 photographs, 15 quilts selected from the project and Freeman's personal collection, and 39 unique quilted mattes made especially for the exhibition.
Freeman serves as the curator for "A Communion of the Spirits: African American Quilters, Preservers, and Their Stories", overseeing its installation in each venue and tailoring the exhibition to each city's local quilting history. Freeman has also written a book by the same title, A Communion of the Spirits: African American Quilters, Preservers, and Their Stories, which features more than 24 years of the author's field research and provides in-depth interpretation of photos and artifacts.
While this unique exhibition primarily focuses on everyday African American women quilters, it also features male quilters and many well-known quilt makers and preservers, such as civil rights activist Rosa Parks; author Maya Angelou; former Spelman College President, Johnetta B. Cole; writer Alice Walker; founder/artistic director of Sweet Honey and the Rock, Bernice Johnson-Reagan; and Washington, DC's own Master Quilter, Viola Canady. Complementing the vivid array of quilts and photographs are Quilting Bee, a 1996 wood carving by Franklin D. Barrow; and a 1989 wood sculpture by Lavern Hamberlin, also entitled Quilting Bee.
A variety of public programs are planned in
conjunction with this exhibition.
Surround yourself with faces from the Colonial and early days
of the American South with Henry Benbridge (1743-1812): Charleston
Portrait Painter, an exhibition showing at the Gibbes Museum
of Art from Sept. 29 - Dec. 31. This exhibition celebrates the
work of early American artist Henry Benbridge, acclaimed in his
day as a painter of great genius. Today, he is recognized as a
pivotal figure in the history of American art.
Self Portrait,
Henry Benbridge
Benbridge's well-trained hand and elegant, neo-classical style are represented on 32 oil on canvas paintings and 26 watercolor on ivory miniature portraits. The first of its kind since the National Portrait Gallery's 1971 exhibition, this event focuses specifically on the artist's career in the South Carolina Lowcountry. The exhibition brings together paintings from the collections of the Gibbes Museum of Art. Winston-Salem's Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the H.F. duPont Winterthur Museum, as well as pieces from a variety of collectors.
Born into a privileged Philadelphia family, Henry Benbridge was one of the first native-born artists to study abroad and exhibit at elite venues such as the Royal Academy in London. These rich experiences enabled him to meet and create portraits of dignitaries such as Benjamin Franklin and fellow artist Benjamin West. These contacts provided his entree to the most distinguished circles in the colonies, as well as opportunities for commissions in cities throughout America.
Henry Benbridge's career weathered the storms of the American Revolution. His work remained popular even when the British exiled him to St. Augustine in 1780 as punishment for his staunch patriotism. Following the end of the Revolutionary War hostilities, his career resumed full force during the early years of the fledgling nation.
This landmark exhibition is presented by the Gibbes Museum of Art as part of its Signature Series - an exploration of the connections of major American artists' to Charleston and the Southeast. It surveys Benbridge's career, including his training, the individuals he painted, and the costumes and detailed landscapes that set off each of his portraits. It also includes an examination of his miniatures and those attributed to his wife, Esther (Hetty) Benbridge. It was organized by Angela D. Mack, curator of collections at the Gibbes Museum of Art, with the assistance of Dianne Avlon, guest curator for research.
Henry Benbridge (1743-1812): Charleston Portrait Painter is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue including four scholarly essays and an annotated exhibition checklist published by the Gibbes, It is funded in part by Wachovia, the Post and Courier Foundation, the South Carolina Humanities Council, and the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
For further information check our SC Institutional
Gallery listings or call the museum at 843/722-2706 or check them
out on the web at (http://www.gibbes.com).
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427, Bonneau, SC 29431
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