“A Bold and Beautiful Vision: A Century of Black Arts Education in Washington, D.C., 1900–2000,” opens March 23 at Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum with captivating artworks, artifacts and rare video footage. It tells the story of the teachers, students and activists who made Washington, D.C., a center for Black arts education.
Washington produced some of the 20th century’s most talented artists, including musical icons Duke Ellington, Billy Taylor and Madame Lillian Evanti; visual artists Alma Thomas, Elizabeth Catlett and James A. Porter; and was home to artist-educators Sam Gilliam, Georgette Seabrooke Powell and Loïs Mailou Jones, among many others.
Outside the spotlight of the nation’s major museums and galleries, and in a longtime segregated school system, African American artist-educators in 20th-century Washington were unified not by a singular aesthetic vision but by a bold and deeply held commitment to inspiring a love of the arts in young people. These artists shared their gifts with their students in the face of the seemingly insurmountable challenges of underfunding, overcrowding and being overlooked. “A Bold and Beautiful Vision” features over 85 objects and artworks, including:
- Original prints from the first solo exhibit of Elizabeth Catlett (1915–2012), organized by one of the first Black-owned commercial art galleries in the nation, Washington’s Barnett-Aden Gallery; these same prints later hung for many years on the walls of Catlett’s alma mater, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.
- The mid-century paintbrushes and watercolor paint set of longtime Washington educator and renowned painter Alma Thomas (1891–1978), donated to the Anacostia Community Museum by David C. Driskell.
- Several artworks by Sam Gilliam (1933–2022), including from the period when he was teaching at McKinley Technical High School (“Long Green,” 1965), another from much later in his career after he had been teaching college and was working on three-dimensional sculptures (“Daily Red,” 1998) and a third that is a cut of canvas he donated to the Anacostia Community Museum (c. 1989) to make available to visitors who would be interested in learning about his techniques.
- Late 1960s silkscreen prints by Lou Stovall (1937–2023) and Lloyd McNeill (1935–2021) created for a weekly concert series organized by the Adams Morgan-based youth arts organization, The New Thing Art and Architecture Center.
In conjunction with the upcoming exhibition, a panel discussion will take place on Saturday, March 23 at 11:30 a.m. Entitled The Mecca of Arts Education: Howard University’s History and Legacy in the Arts this panel discussion will explore Howard University’s rich history and legacy in the arts. Countless Howard faculty and alumni have made an indelible impact across the artistic disciplines over the years, from visual artists like Loïs Mailou Jones and David Driskell to musicians like Dr. Donald Byrd, Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. Join us for a lively and informative discussion with former Howard students from the 1960s and ‘70s as they reflect on their educational experience at the university and on the impact their time at Howard had on their own distinguished careers, including:
- Topper Carew, Hollywood filmmaker; co-creator/producer of TV show “Martin” with Martin Lawrence; founder of the 1960s-‘70s youth arts organization The New Thing Art & Architecture Center; attended Howard 1961-1966
- Kinshasha Holman Conwill, founding deputy director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC); former director of the Studio Museum in Harlem; Howard BFA ‘73
- Keith Killgo, musician and founding member of the jazz-fusion group The Blackbyrds with Dr. Donald Byrd (founder of Howard’s Jazz Studies Program)
Plus, on Sunday, March 24, 2024, from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. visitors can partake in a guided art experience with Lex Marie. Ms. Lexis Jordan, the artist known at Lex Marie (b. 1992: Prince Georges County, Md.), is a multidisciplinary artist who creates paintings, sculptures and installations that reflect her individual experiences yet encompasses the experiences of many in the African diaspora. Marie often uses found objects with sentimental value to put a physical form to past memories and present challenges many African American children face. Art materials available for use while supplies last.
The Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum is open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (except Christmas Day) and is located at 1901 Fort Place SE. You can learn more about programs and other events at anacostia.si.edu.