Art

Myrna Gates once volunteered at Magic City Art Connection; last week she won award of distinction

THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES — Myrna Gates is a long-time Magic City Art Connection (MCAC) supporter: she’s attended for more than a decade, first as a visitor then a volunteer. This year was her first time as an artist at the event.

Published

6 years ago

May 2, 2019

Oakland Post

By Ameera Steward

Myrna Gates is a long-time Magic City Art Connection (MCAC) supporter: she’s attended for more than a decade, first as a visitor then a volunteer. This year was her first time as an artist at the event.

“I [used] to walk around and talk to these artists, and I would always want to be there, but [some years] I didn’t have enough money for the application fee. Something … [would always] keep me from doing it.”

A couple of years ago she wanted to present her artwork so badly at the MCAC that she chose to volunteer because she had missed the deadline [to enter the festival].

“I just wanted to be a part,” Gates said. “The whole time I was [volunteering], I was … trying to keep myself from crying because I knew I wasn’t supposed to be out there volunteering. I was supposed to be out there as an artist, not just a volunteer.”

“Blue Bayou”

Gates, 53, from Birmingham’s Wenonah community, was at the MCAC last weekend, but not as a visitor or volunteer—she was among the 200-plus juried artists from Alabama and across the U.S. who gathered in Linn Park to display a broad range of art mediums and styles.

Gates said the festival was “awesome from the very first day …I sold several paintings, I got so many commissions, so many people who wanted me to do paintings for their offices, or their living rooms… It was 100 times more than what I expected and that’s all the way around…from the people to the artists that you meet…that was beautiful…meeting other artists from different states and they tell you how they travel, how they just go from show to show.”

On Friday, she won an Award of Distinction. “I knew they’d give awards away but I never thought I would win, it wasn’t even in my mind the whole time…so when that gentleman called my name, I literally took off running…I was yelling and screaming and that reaction also made people like me, they just thought that was so cool…people were just coming up to me the next day and…saying ‘you were so happy.’”

Because it was her first year as a participant, she looked forward to presenting her “Blue Bayou” collection.

“My first set of ‘Blue Bayou’ paintings, a collection of all-blue, more of an ocean scene with waves, [was inspired by a fear] I always had about painting with the color blue. I don’t know why I was always scared of it, so I named the collection ‘Blue Bayou,’ meaning sad, but they turn out so beautiful. It’s my favorite go-to color,” Gates said of the blue-themed paintings she began working on in March.

“I stretch my own canvas, so I buy wood and all the materials and begin the process of what size and how many,” she said.

Gates paints in layers, so she can work on a painting for a week to a couple of months: “[It] all depends on when I feel like it is finished. … [Something just] lets me know when it’s finished.”

“Spreading Happiness”

Gates said it’s important that people “see my art and go, ‘Wow!’ I want to spark a conversation. I want people to talk about it. I want [my paintings] to be so touching that [people] want to buy [them].”

“If they look at [the painting] every day, I want it to bring happiness. That’s why I paint. … Maybe it’s my own little way of spreading happiness.”

Gates has always enjoyed painting, but she got serious about it about 15 years ago, when she helped her son, Eric, with an art project during his time as a student at Birmingham’s George W. Carver High School. Her son also had the opportunity to meet Kerry James Marshall, a Birmingham native who is renowned for “his paintings, installations, and public projects … often drawn from African-American popular culture and … rooted in the geography of his upbringing,” according to art21.org.

“I took my son to the meeting [with Marshall], but I didn’t know I was going to get inspired,” Gates said.

Marshall spoke to young people and their parents at the Birmingham Museum of Art. He explained that when he was young and went to art museums, all the paintings seemed to be for whites, so he chose to incorporate black characters into his artwork. Gates was intrigued by Marshall’s lecture.

“It struck something in me because that’s what I saw when I went to to art museums, too,” she said. “[I] went to art museums all the time, but I never saw black figures.”

She often creates her best pieces when she is angry about an issue, Gates said.

“I do some of my best work when I’m upset and what I paint is about racism or inequality or [things] not being fair,” she said, adding that those sentiments inspired her new series, titled “Not Our Kind.”

“I have been in positions [in which I felt that] ‘I’m not their kind,’ … so I stopped trying to be part of the group,” Gates said. “I became my own self and then I found abstract.”

Her objective is to make people look: “I want you to see something. … I want you to find something,” she said.

“Loud and Proud”

Gates, who is self-taught, said she also wants children to see more black artists.

“When you go to [some] festivals, we’re not there. We’re not represented,” she said. “That was one of the reasons I [said to myself], ‘You have to fight [to be part of the festivals]. You have to do whatever you have to do. I don’t care. You have to be [at the MCAC] this year. … Your voice means something. Say something. If you want to change [the fact that we’re not represented], change it. If you want to do it, do it. You be the one to step up and do it.’

“So, I said, ‘I’m going to be there. I’m going to be loud and proud and just say, Hey I am here. I’m representing Birmingham. I’m representing my black community.’”

Gates didn’t start selling her paintings until her children started encouraging her.

“They were like, ‘Ma, your stuff looks just as good as these other people’s stuff. You need to sell it,’” she said.

Gates did her first art show at Avondale Park in 2015 with 10 paintings—and she sold out: “I’ve been selling ever since,” she said, adding that she is inspired by the people who came before her and she wants to inspire others.

Graffiti

Gates appreciates a broad range of art styles, but graffiti is one of her passions.

“A lot of people don’t want words in their paintings, but they accept the words if it’s graffiti,” she said. “I want to do graffiti like … Jean-Michel Basquiat, [a renowned New York City artist who died at age 27]. I love his graffiti and just listening to his story. [I’m] also very inspired when I listen to others, people who are artists and have a story to tell about how they struggled before they made it big. … Even if I never make it big, big I’m happy.”

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

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Art

A Prolific Painter: Artist and Advocate Lois Mailou Jones

Lois Mailou Jones was a prominent African American artist whose career spanned more than seven decades, from the Harlem Renaissance to the modern art movement. She was not only a prolific painter but also an influential educator, bridging cultural gaps and challenging stereotypes through her vibrant and diverse works.

Published

4 days ago

October 29, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of National Archives, Washington, D.C.

By Tamara Shiloh

Her unique journey of self-expression, dedication to art, and advocacy for African American and African themes made her a crucial figure in the evolution of American art.

Jones was born on Nov. 3, 1905, in Boston. Raised in an intellectual and supportive family, she demonstrated an early interest in art, encouraged by her mother, who believed in the importance of creativity. Lois studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she faced racial challenges but persisted in pursuing her passion.

Her pursuit of higher education led her to the prestigious Design Art School, where she perfected her skills in textile design. Later, Jones attended Harvard University and received further training at the Académie Julian in Paris. This European experience greatly influenced her style and broadened her perspective on art.

Jones’s career began in textile design, creating works that were used by leading textile companies. However, her true passion was painting. During the Harlem Renaissance, she moved away from textile design to focus on fine art, exploring themes that reflected her heritage and the African diaspora.

Her early works were influenced by European Post-Impressionism, featuring landscapes and still life, but Jones’s style evolved over time. After spending time in Haiti, she was deeply inspired by Caribbean culture, and her palette became more vivid, her subject matter more symbolic. The influence of African and Caribbean culture is evident in her later works, where she used bright colors and geometric patterns to convey the spirit and stories of the people she encountered.

Her contributions to African American art were significant during a time when Black artists struggled for recognition. She often focused on themes of African heritage, pride, and unity, blending African illustrations and portraits with Western artistic techniques to create a unique visual language that celebrated Black culture.

She was also a dedicated educator. She began her teaching career at Palmer Memorial Institute in North Carolina and later became a professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she taught for almost 50 years. Through her teaching, she influenced generations of young Black artists, encouraging them to explore and express their cultural heritage through art.

In the 1930s and 1940s, she worked to exhibit her work alongside other Black artists, helping to create a platform for voices that had long been excluded from mainstream galleries.

Recognition and Legacy

Jones achieved significant recognition throughout her lifetime, both in the United States and internationally. She exhibited her work across the globe, including in Paris, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Jones continued painting until her death in 1998, leaving behind a rich legacy of artistic achievements and contributions to art education. She broke boundaries by celebrating Black identity and heritage at a time when these themes were often marginalized.

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At Oakland Symphony’s 2024-25 Season Opening, Music Director Kedrick Armstrong Will Make History

Music Director Kedrick Armstrong will make history with his debut performance at the Oakland Symphony’s 2024-25 Season Opening Concert on Oct. 18, at 8 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland. Armstrong, who is from Georgetown, South Carolina, is the ninth music director in the organization’s almost 100-year-history. His appointment follows in the footsteps of the late Oakland Symphony Music Director and Conductor Michael Morgan.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Music Director Kedrick Armstrong. Photo by Scott Chernis.

By Oakland Post Staff

Music Director Kedrick Armstrong will make history with his debut performance at the Oakland Symphony’s 2024-25 Season Opening Concert on Oct. 18, at 8 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland.

Armstrong, who is from Georgetown, South Carolina, is the ninth music director in the organization’s almost 100-year-history. His appointment follows in the footsteps of the late Oakland Symphony Music Director and Conductor Michael Morgan.

Armstrong, 30, is not a new face to Oakland as he has been an active partner with the Oakland Symphony over the last few years both on and off-the-stage.

From 2022-24, Armstrong led three Oakland Symphony programs and guest-conducted the orchestra, showcasing his broad knowledge of the classical repertoire and enthusiasm for spotlighting diverse voices.

On his Oakland Symphony subscription debut on Feb. 16, Kedrick led the World Premiere of “Here I Stand: Paul Robeson,” an oratorio by Carlos Simon on a libretto by Dan Harder, commissioned by the Oakland Symphony.

On April 16, 2023, Armstrong conducted the Oakland Symphony’s Family Hype concert, presented in partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bay Area. Armstrong first led the orchestra for a free “Summerstage at City Hall” concert at Oakland City Hall on Aug. 4, 2022.

The music program “Kedrick Armstrong Inaugural Inextinguishable Oakland!” will include commissioned works from master drummer Allison Miller and Bay Area artists – Ethiopian artist Meklit and Latin percussionist John Santos – in celebration of Living Jazz’s 40th anniversary.

Oct. 18 musical program:

Julia Perry: A Short Piece for Orchestra

Celebrate the 40-Year Anniversary of Living Jazz with three jazz-rooted compositions.

“Valley of the Giants” (for Eddie Marshall); Allison Miller, composer; arranged and orchestrated by Todd Sickafoose. Featured artist: Allison Miller, Drum Set; guest artist: Dayna Stephens, Saxophone.

Medley: “Ethio Blue, My Gold, Stars in a Wide Field”

Songs and Lyrics by Meklit; arrangement and orchestration by Sam Bevan. Featured artist: Meklit, Vocals; guest artists: Sam Bevan, Bass, Colin Douglas, Drumkit, Marco Peris Coppola, Tupan/Percussion.

“Un Levantamiento (An Uprising)”

Composer, percussion: John Santos; arrangers: Saul Sierra and John Santos. Featured artist: John Santos, güícharo, bongo; guest artists: Pedro Pastrana, Puerto Rican cuatro; Maria Cora, spoken word.

Carl Nielsen: Symphony No. 4, “The Inextinguishable”

Pre-concert talk by John Kendall Bailey begins at 7:05pm.

For tickets, go to: https://oaklandsymphony.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/events/a0SUu0000001rYXMAY

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Augusta Savage: A Sculptor, Activist and Renaissance Woman

Augusta Savage was a prominent sculptor and activist of the Harlem Renaissance, known for her artistic talent and dedication to encouraging and supporting African American artists.

Published

3 weeks ago

October 15, 2024

Oakland Post

Augusta Savage with her sculpture Realization, ca. 1938. Photo by Andrew Herman, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution (2371)

By Tamara Shiloh

Augusta Savage was a prominent sculptor and activist of the Harlem Renaissance, known for her artistic talent and dedication to encouraging and supporting African American artists.

Augusta Christine Fells was born on Feb. 29, 1892, in Green Cove Springs, Fla. She later took the name of her second husband as her

Savage began sculpting as a child using natural clay found near her home. Her father, a Methodist minister, didn’t approve of her sculpting and did whatever he could to stop her. She once said that her father “almost whipped all the art out of me.” Despite her father’s objections, she continued to make sculptures.

When the family moved to West Palm Beach, Fla., in 1915, she encountered a new challenge: a lack of clay. She eventually got some materials from a local potter and created a group of figures that she entered in a local county fair. Her work was well received, winning a prize and along the way the support of the fair’s superintendent, George Graham Currie. He encouraged her to study art despite the racism she encountered.

In the 1920s, Savage moved to New York City, where she attended Cooper Union, a prestigious art school that provided free tuition. She excelled there, completing her studies ahead of time and receiving scholarships for living expenses. Despite being rejected for a summer program in France because of her race, she persevered, using the incident to highlight discrimination. She gained recognition during the Harlem Renaissance, creating sculptures of prominent African Americans, including W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey.

In 1929, Savage received a Julius Rosenwald fellowship, which enabled her to study in Paris, where she exhibited her work at the Grand Palais, a famous exhibition hall and museum in the French capital.

When she returned to the U.S. during the Great Depression, Savage turned to teaching and founded the Savage Studio of Arts and Crafts, mentoring young artists like Jacob Lawrence and Norman Lewis. She played an active role in the Harlem Artists’ Guild and worked with the Works Projects Administration (WPA) to support struggling artists.

One of Savage’s most celebrated works was The Harp, created for the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Inspired by James Weldon Johnson’s poem “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the monumental sculpture depicted twelve African American youth as the strings of a harp. Although it was highly acclaimed, The Harp was destroyed after the fair ended.

In her later years, Savage retreated to a quieter life in Saugerties, New York, teaching children and creating art as a hobby. She was married three times and had one child, Irene.

Savage passed away on March 26, 1962, in New York City after battling cancer. Although she was nearly forgotten at the time of her death, today Savage is recognized as a pioneering artist, educator, and advocate for African American art and artists.