Elder Art Gallery: February 2002

Elder Art Gallery Gallery
Celebrates Black History Month

Elder Art Gallery Gallery will launch the first of several theme shows for the year 2002 at its location at 1427 South Boulevard in Charlotte’s South End district. This show will celebrate the artistic talents that lie within the African-American community in the Southeastern United States. In addition, the month-long exhibit will showcase the masterful skills of a noted Southeastern portrait painter of African-Americans.

The five headliner artists in the show that opens on Friday, February 1st, are Tyrone Geter, Professor of Art at Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina; Charlotte Riley-Webb from Atlanta, Georgia; Claire Miller Hopkins, portrait artist from Spartanburg, South Carolina; Damond Howard, Assistant Professor, Benedict College in Columbia; and nationally-known “Outsider” artist, Jimmie Lee Suddeth of Fayette, Alabama. Annie Renee Smith and Jeremy Davis, both of Charlotte, will also exhibit their work to round out the show.

Hopkins’ work includes pastel portraits of African-Americans in everyday situations. Her work has won national acclaim and membership in the prestigious Pastel Society of America and the Knickerbocker Art Association. She has been featured in numerous national publications and was most recently honored with an article on her work in the November/December edition of The Pastel Journal.

Riley-Webb’s work is a visual documentation of the culture of which she has become so familiar - the importance of family, church and friends instilled throughout her childhood. She was recently selected as one of fifteen artists to create paintings for the prestigious Absolut Vodka’s Heritage Tour that is slated for nine cities in the United States.

The work that Geter will present reflects his years of living in West Africa. His use of color and different textures captures the beauty and feeling of the historic world of his ancestry. Geter is nationally known for his exquisite, large-scale charcoal drawings. His exhibit will feature colorful paintings, as well as drawings.

Of his work, Damond Howard says “As an African-American in a largely white culture, my work portrays feelings and thoughts that are a part of my everyday experience.” His work is powerful and thought-provoking and contains self-portraits that are done in charcoal and chalk on paper.

Jimmie Lee Suddeth is one of America’s best known and recognized “Outsider” artists. Born in 1910, Suddeth has been painting all of his life. At the age of 90 he is still painting, although a recent illness has slowed his productivity. When he was a little boy, he painted with a mud, sugar, paint and natural pigment mixture from a “recipe” given to him by his mother. Since he had no money for art supplies, he would mix in grass, leaves, berries and other natural pigments to attain the color he was striving to achieve. Suddeth’s work is highly sought after and is included in numerous corporate and museum collections. He was featured on CBS’s 60 Minutes and has been included in numerous publications on “Outsider” artists.

“The inclusion of Smith and Davis in the show demonstrates our commitment to provide a full spectrum of work for our customers and a venue for talented artists to sell their work”, says Elder. Both of these artists have a natural talent that adds an interesting element to our exhibit. “This show should hold wide appeal due to its varied subject matter, the use of different media and the masterful techniques used by the artists.”

Operating hours are Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Appointments are offered at your convenience.

Elder Art Gallery Gallery
1427 South Boulevard • Suite 101 • Charlotte, NC 28203
704-370-6337