This exhibition appropriately salutes the scholar, William Edward Burghardt “W. E. B.” Du Bois. (1868-1963) His l903 anthology, The Souls of Black Folk, recorded the pathos of life for the African American at the turn of the 20th century.
Folk art expresses the passion, beauty and sorrow of the artists and their lived experiences. Their work documents traditions and sustains cultural memory. This exhibition brings Du Bois’ writings into clear focus and reveals the struggle of the African American to survive and balance “two souls, two thoughts, two un-reconciled strivings”.
The African America Museum, in 1986 began developing and African-American Folk Art Collection and resource center. The permanent folk art collection was established with a cash gift from one of the founding board members, Billy R. Allen. Since that time other gifts have been made by Sylvia and Warren Lowe, Gasperi Gallery, Dr. Bobby Alexander, Dr. and Mrs. Robert Ryan, Phil Vaccaro, Charles Flato, Mr. and Ms. Robert W Decherd, and Accommodations, Inc. With the assistance of Dr. Regina A Perry, Professor Emeritus of African-American Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, a collection of slides, catalogues, articles, and other documents has been assembled as a part of the Resource Center.
The Museum’s permanent folk art collection contains works by David Butler, Roy Ferdinand, Sister Gertrude Morgan, Alma Gunter, Bessie Harvey, Clementine Hunter, Rev. John Hunter, Deacon Eddie Moore, Sr., James “Son” Thomas, Mose Toliver, Henry Speller, Willard “The Texas Kid” Watson, George White, and many others.
Exhibition Dates: February 6 – April 28, 2018
Folk Art Collection from the African American Museum, Dallas in partnership with Wichita Falls Alliance for Arts and Culture and funded by grant from Texas Commission on the Arts
Link to the Souls of Black Folk article in the The Times Record News