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Called to Create: Black Artists of the American South

Past Exhibition

September 18, 2022 – June 11, 2023
East Building, Upper Level, West Bridge

Notice for visitors:

Originally extended through December 31, Called to Create will close on June 11 due to the unexpected outage of our main freight elevator in the East Building. This outage affects our ability to install and deinstall works of art and requires us to relocate The Land Carries Our Ancestors: Contemporary Art by Native Americans, opening September 22, into these galleries. We apologize for the inconvenience.


Thornton Dial, James “Son Ford” Thomas, Lonnie Holley, Mary T. Smith, Purvis Young, and many other Black artists in the South drew upon recycled materials as their art supplies and used yards, porches, or boarded-up storefronts as their galleries. The women of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, made dazzling quilts from well-worn clothing or leftover scraps of fabric. Despite racism and other forms of discrimination, all of these artists drew on deep cultural and spiritual traditions to create some of the finest art of our time. 

In 2020, the National Gallery acquired 40 sculptures, assemblages, paintings, reliefs, quilts, and drawings from the Souls Grown Deep Foundation, together with several related gifts. Enjoy these inventive works, including nine Gee’s Bend quilts, and learn the remarkable stories of their making and makers.

Selected Works

Called to Create

Missouri Pettway, 1900 – 1981, "Path through the Woods", 1971, polyester knit, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Patrons’ Permanent Fund and Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation
Called to Create

Thornton Dial, Clothes Factory, 1995, mattress frame, rope, carpet, fabric, plastic, enamel, spray paint, industrial sealing compound on canvas mounted on wood, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Patrons’ Permanent Fund and Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation
Called to Create

James "Son Ford" Thomas, Untitled, 1987, unfired clay, artificial hair, sunglasses, and glass marbles, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Patrons’ Permanent Fund and Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation
Called to Create

Lonnie Holley, From the Beginning to the End to the Beginning, 1985, cast sand, Patrons' Permanent Fund and Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation, 2020.28.6
Called to Create

Mary T. Smith, Untitled, 1987, paint on plywood, Patrons' Permanent Fund and Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation, 2020.28.23
Called to Create

Purvis Young, 1943 – 2010, Saints, late 1970s, various paints, clear acetate, and wood lathe on laminated paperboard, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Patrons’ Permanent Fund and Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation
Called to Create

Joe Light, 1934 – 2005, Birdman Trainer, 1987, oil-based enamel and spray, paints on wood paneling, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Patrons’ Permanent Fund and Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation
Called to Create

Mary Lee Bendolph, Blocks and Strips, 2002, wool, cotton, corduroy, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Patrons’ Permanent Fund and Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation
Called to Create

Georgia Speller, 1931 – 1988, Gloria Jean with Her Old Man and Sally Brown, a Friend Lady, 1987, transparent and opaque watercolor and acrylic with graphite on wove paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Patrons’ Permanent Fund and Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation
Called to Create

Thornton Dial Jr., A Man Can Be a Star, 1988, galvanized ferrous metal, wood, carpet, glasses, and industrial sealing compound on wood, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Patrons’ Permanent Fund and Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation
Called to Create

Henry Speller, Old Man Cartwright with Adam and Little Joe, 1987, marker, crayon, and graphite on paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Patrons’ Permanent Fund and Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation

Discover More

Story

Quilts That Embody the Legacy of Black America

The artisans from the tiny town of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, have been making a global impact for generations.

Feature

Black Art & Artists in the Collection

Explore art and artists in our collection, along with exhibitions, events, and resources for educators.

Organization
Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington

The exhibition is curated by Harry Cooper, senior curator and head, department of modern art, National Gallery of Art.

Sponsors
The Heading South experience is possible thanks to the generosity of the filmmakers whose work is excerpted including Alabama Public Television, Matt Arnett, The Art Guys, Checkerboard Film Foundation/Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies, Linda Connelly, William Ferris, Folkstreams/Tom Davenport, Scott Ogden and Malcolm Hearn, Ethan Payne, David Seehausen, Small Change Productions: Scott Crocker and Toshiaki Ozawa, Visby, Inc./ Ryan Kindahl. Thanks to Maris Curran for excerpts from her film, While I yet Live. Special thanks to Danielle Beverly and Marco Williams for permission to excerpt from Lonnie Holley: The Truth of the Dirt, which can be streamed on Vimeo and other platforms.

Passes
Admission is always free and passes are not required

Banner detail: Missouri Pettway, "Path through the Woods" (Quiltmaker's Name), 1971, polyester knit, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Patrons’ Permanent Fund and Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation, 2020.28.16