Embracing Multiculturalism: African American art: Powerful storytellingBy Bill and Paula Alice Mitchell
Westerly Sun January 18, 2024 Bill and Paula Alice Mitchell, local collectors of African American Art, are guest columnists this month. They have deep roots in the community. They returned to Westerly in 2020 after years in Maryland, pursuing careers, raising a family, and collecting art. As museums in major cities across the nation acknowledge the place of African American Art in mainstream American Art, the Mitchells have quietly pursued their mission to share their collection and passion with the public. Bill Mitchell discusses their journey. “Paula and I have shared a passion for the arts in all forms for more than fifty years. Fine craft dominated our purchases early on - work created from wood, ceramic, metal, and baskets. Initially, we had no grand plan for what hung on our walls. We purchased art we liked, wanted to live with, and could afford. A chance visit in June of 2011 to the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts & Culture in Charlotte, North Carolina, changed that forever. A collection of paintings, prints, and posters assembled over fifty years by New York City residents John and Vivian Hewitt hung in its main gallery. It was art created solely by African Americans. We saw works that energized us with vibrant colors and evoked intense emotion. This art was different. It required us to look in new ways, and we loved it! Learning more about how African American artists approach making art contributed to this shift in our interest. During our extensive reading and learning, we came across the following description of that creative process: Many African American artists take a decidedly non-Western approach to making art. It is art rooted in African American everyday life and belief, not in a series of abstract concepts. It is art based upon a relationship with ordinary people rather than on the ideas of a few intellectuals. These artists are committed to making art understandable, relevant, and accessible to the average person. It is art created for people, not critics. It appeals to the intellect and the senses, for a story is always told. It is art that reflects how African Americans view the world around them. We have learned that African American artists are excellent storytellers. Historical, cultural, social, or political, their art shares stories that compel the viewer. African American art introduced us to a history of which we had little or no knowledge. This history has essentially been ignored, hidden, misinterpreted, or blatantly denied. When questioned about a particularly challenging work by an African American painter in the permanent collection of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas, founder Alice Walton answered, ‘Yes, it’s a very beautiful work of art. But it tells a story, an American story, not a pretty one, but one that needs to be known.’ Several questions have challenged us since that first afternoon in Charlotte, North Carolina. Why had we yet to learn of, read about, or see this art during the many years we had been actively collecting? Why had we yet to see it in galleries or at art fairs? Why had we yet to see it exhibited in museums? We have come to understand that the absence was by design. With very few exceptions, African American artists and their work had been systematically ignored outside the African American Art community. But a larger question remains. How can the history of American Art be complete without including art created by African Americans?” The Mitchells’ mission is to expose others to the art that raised these questions for them and to share their collections to help others question and begin their journey to learn the answers. Visit Conversations with African American Art, an exhibition of pieces of the Mitchell collection, selected and interpreted by April Dinwoodie, Leslie Dunn, and Kevin Lowther, in the Community Room of the Artists Cooperative Gallery of Westerly at 34 Railroad Avenue in town. The exhibition is on view until the end of February. Also, attend a presentation by the Mitchells in the second session on Feb. 10 of Conversations about African American Art: Talks with African American Artists and Collectors, a series, on three consecutive Saturday afternoons, 1:30-3:30 pm, Feb. 3, Feb. 10, and Feb.17. ARC presents this program, hosted in the Westerly Library Auditorium, and sponsored by the Washington Trust Foundation. Robin Holder of New Jersey presents Session 1, Feb. 3, and Curlee Raven Holton of Pennsylvania presents Session 3, Feb. 17. Both are nationally known, highly respected, and widely exhibited artists, master printmakers and art educators. In 2024, Black History Month highlights the varied history and life of African American artists, artisans, and art. In January and February, a time encompassing both Martin Luther King Day and African American History month, we bring this national celebration home to Westerly. This column is written by members of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition, which embraces multiculturalism to address racism. Geoff Serra is a contributing editor. A community coalition unaffiliated with any state, national, or international organization, ARC meets on the steps of the Westerly Post Office each Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All are welcome. Learn more and subscribe to ARC’s newsletter at westerlyarc.weebly.com. Contact them at [email protected]. |
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This website is a publication of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition. ARC is a community coalition unaffiliated with any state, national, or international organization. ARC embraces multiculturalism to address racism.
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