dition:
Sometimes the most important
things are those that are most hidden.
And those doing the hidingÑor the purposeful obscuringÑare often those
who have the most to gain from the act of concealment. Such is the case with African American
vernacular art, a world of creative expression whose critical contributions to
American culture have long been denied.
Two of the long-time champions of this art and one of the SouthÕs most
respected African American self-taught artists address the politics of Black
vernacular artistry, and the largely unrecognized richness of the self-taught
tradition, in this public conversation.
Bill Arnett is one of the
nationÕs most passionate advocates for the aesthetic importance of African
American self-taught artistry. The
creator/curator of both the groundbreaking ÒSouls Grown DeepÓ exhibit of African American vernacular art and the
more recent, much-heralded exhibit of the
Quilts of GeeÕs Bend, Arnett has almost single-handedly forced a public
re-evaluation of the material worlds of African American creativity. He contendsÑquite forcefullyÑthat
African American self-taught art represents the most important artistic
movement that America has ever produced.
Lonnie Holley, in turn, is
one of the nationÕs most celebrated African American self-taught artists. Often hailed as the most eloquent
spokesperson for this art realm, Holley creates compelling art with a spectrum
of materials, ranging from sandstone to wire to found objects. Each piece, in turn, tells a
provocative story, offering a powerful and political testimony about the
experience of working-class African Americans. HolleyÕs work has appeared in virtually every major
exhibition of American self-taught/outsider/vernacular art.
Wednesday, Nov. 8th,
2006 ¥ 7:00pm ¥ Free
Admission
The Sonja Haynes Stone
Center for Black Culture and History
150 South Road ¥ UNC-Chapel Hill
Tel:
(919) 962-4062 ¥ http://www.unc.edu/depts/folklore/
Sponsored by the UNC
Curriculum in Folklore, in association with the
Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black
Culture and History,
The Department
of Art, and