Purvis Young (1943-2010)
untitled, n.d.
collage, ink, paint on wood, 24” x 43.5”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2009
2009.1.9

Purvis Young was born in the Liberty City area of Miami and lived most of his life in Overtown, an inner city area now bisected by an interstate.  He was arrested for breaking and entering (he says he never stole anything¹) at age 18 and spent 3 years in prison. It was during this time that he began to paint. He said that angels told him, “This is not your life.  You’re going to have a different life.  Listen and learn, Purvis”².  Although he sold his works for thousands of dollars, he lived in near poverty most of his life, and died a pauper. He exhibited in the likes of the Smithsonian, and counted Jane Fonda as one of his patrons.

Purvis was a self-taught urban artist whose vibrant paintings can be seen on overpasses, broken furniture, old cars, and discarded boards.  He often used broken pieces of wood to frame his work.  He was self-educated, having researched art history extensively and been influenced by van Gogh, Picasso and Rembrandt³.  After hearing of “freedom walls” being painted in Detroit and Chicago, he created his own mural at Miami’s “Good Bread Alley”⁴.  This collection of paintings was visible from the interstate passing overhead.  He also painted murals on the Overtown Branch Library and in a Miami Metro station.

Purvis Young’s vibrant paintings often show “graffiti-like repetitive images” of traffic crowds and hovering angels.  His angels represent hope, and he uses wild horses to represent freedom and eyes to represent “the system”⁵.  His style is naïve, expressionistic and symbolic.  He produced thousands of works, giving pieces away in his earlier years.  Young suffered from diabetes, and he had numerous health issues in his last years.

Following a battle with diabetes that had left him in a wheelchair, Young died on April 20, 2010 from a cardiac arrest, but he lives on through his vibrate and expressionistic paintings. 

1. “Purvis Young: Contemporary Urban Artist.” Film Documentary. David Seehausen, Director. Skot Foreman, Producer. Accessory, 1997. <http://purvisyoung.com/Artist-Info.cfm?ArtistsID=372>
2. Rivera, Geraldo. “From Ghetto to Grand.” Gerald at Large. 2007 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmSgckK_Sek>
3. Arnett, W. “On Purvis Young’s Mind.” Souls Grown Deep: African American Vernacular Art. Volume II eds William Arnett and Paul Arnett. Tinwood Books: Atlanta, 2001, 390.
4. Maresca, F. & Ricco, R. American Self-Taught: Paintings and Drawings by Outsider Artists. Alfred A. Knopf: New York, 1993, 273.
5. Arnett, W. “This is Life I See: Told by Purvis Young.”  Souls Grown Deep: African American Vernacular Art. Volume II eds William Arnett and Paul Arnett. Tinwood Books: Atlanta, 2001, 403.

Suzanna Winton
The Haitian Hat Man, 2000 
watercolor on paper, 22” x 14 1⁄2” 
Gift of Julia Munroe Woodward, 2006 
2006.1 

The Haitian Hat Man is a bust-length portrait of a Haitian man in watercolor, by regional artist Suzanna Winton. Suzanna Winton began her studies at the Florida Art Center in 1994, and has since focused on portraiture. Winton’s goal is to capture the personality and essence of her subjects. Since 1993, Winton has focused on watercolors as her professional medium, and she is also noted for her instruction of watercolor painting. Winton actively participates on many boards and committees for artists’ organizations and exhibitions.

Ruby C. Williams (b.1920s)
Piano Playing Cow I Give Better Buttermilk, n.d.
paint on plywood, 48” x 24”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2009
2009.1.13

An image repeated often in the Ruby Williams’ work, this orange cow has black and white piano keys across its back, and a small head and small utters. The cow stands in a grass field with the passage written in white above its head, “Piano Playing Cow I Give Better Buttermilk. The Gadsden Arts Center exhibited this work in the exhibition, Vernacular Art from the Hill Collection, August 28–October 25, 2009.

Ruby C. Williams was born sometime in the 1920s in Bealsville, Florida; a community founded by freed slaves in the 1860’s. There she grew up, had a family, and started her produce business on Highway 60 in Hillsborough County, Florida. She painted brightly colored signs to attract visitors to her produce stand, and eventually became known for her artwork. Her paintings tell stories from the Bible or from her own family and often have a moral. Today Ruby enjoys her fame, which has taken her to classrooms and galleries, both near and far. She says seeing people smile when they look at her paintings makes her happy. Ruby has received the Florida Folk Life Award and was included in an exhibition at the Smithsonian Anacostia Museum entitled “On Their Own- Selected Self-Taught Artists.” She has also illustrated a children’s book titled I am Ruby.

Felix “Harry” Virgous (b.1948)
Jonah and the Big Fish, n.d.
paint/collage on wood, 23.5” x 16.5”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2010
2010.1.16

The artist, Felix Virgous known as Harry, often depicted biblical scenes, like the one seen here of Jonah and the Whale. The artist grew up and lived across the street from the prolific Vernacular artist, Joe Light. Inspired by Light’s brightly decorated house and yard, Virgous decorated an old shed in his backyard with his collages, paintings, and carvings, and called it the “Harry Club”. Most of his images are stories from the Bible, in which Virgous depicts flat figures using vibrant, saturated colors. Virgous was discovered by artist Lonnie Holley in 1987 and has shown his work around the country.

Mose Tolliver (1920–2006)
Although there have been several discrepancies on the exact date of his birth, Mose T was said to have been born between around 1920 in Montgomery County, Alabama¹. After being sent to school at a young age, he decided to stop pursuing his education in order to help support his family. He worked hard his entire life doing odd jobs such as gardening, handy work, and painting houses. 
In the 1940’s, Tolliver married the love of his life, Ms. Willie May Thomas of Ramer, Alabama. In the 1960’s he suffered an incapacitating accident while working at a factory, making him unable to work. While many sources believe this to have been the turning point in his life, during which he began producing his paintings, he claimed he had always been creating art and just had time to focus on it after his accident². 
Mose T would often create his art in a fury, setting a limit for himself early in the day, sometimes up to ten pieces in one day, and would not stop working until he had produced that amount. His images are created on house-paint encrusted pieces of plywood and include sexually explicit images of women, self-portraits, buses, birds, snakes, and fruit. He would attach these images to the tab of a soda or beer can as a hanging device and display them throughout his home.
As Tolliver continued to gain recognition, a local curator for the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts came to see his work and offered him his first solo exhibition, which took place in 1981. After his popularity began to surge on a national level he was invited to exhibitions at prestigious locations such as the Smithsonian Institution Corcoran Gallery, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the American Museum of Folk Art in New York, and many other museums throughout the nation. As the years progressed, Mose became less dexterous and began to train his children to carry out his works. Although they were still his visions, his daughter Annie took over the act of “materializing” them, even down to his signature that flanks each of his works: “Mose T” with the backwards “S”. 
1. Weber, M. “Mose Tolliver.” Marcia Weber Art Objects <http://www.marciaweberartobjects.com/art/tolliverm/tollivermbio.html>
2. Dunn, R. “Mose Tolliver” The Encyclopedia of Alabama. 22 May 2008 <http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1544>


Mose Tolliver
Golden Eagle, n.d.
paint on wood, 24” x 18”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2009
20091.12
Mose Tolliver often painted images of animals, and his subjects usually took up the majority of the picture plane and were surrounded by a painted border. Golden Eagle depicts a yellow bird beginning to take flight against a bight blue sky. A reddish/brown border closely surrounds the bird. Like with many of his works, Tolliver attached a soda can tab to the painting as a hanging device. The Gadsden Arts Center exhibited this work in the exhibition, Vernacular Art from the Hill Collection, August 28–October 25, 2009.

Mose Tolliver
Wild Moose Lady, n.d.
paint on wood, 18.75” x 24”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2010
2010.1.14
Wild Moose Lady is a painting by Mose Tolliver, known as Mose T., which depicts a woman in a sexually explicit pose, a common subject in Mose T’s work.



Mose Tolliver
untitled, n.d.
paint on wood, 13” x 24”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2010
2010.1.15
This untitled painting by Mose Tolliver depicts a large vertical fish, probably a whale, with a small creature near the big fish’s mouth. The creatures are placed against a pink background with a red border.

James Thigpen (b.1943)
QuincyFest I, 2010
oil on canvas, 23.5" x 15.7"
Gift of Capital City Trust Company, Tallahassee, Florida, 2011
2011.1

QuincyFest I is an oil painting created in 2010 by Quincy, Florida, native James Thigpen. The painting depicts a scene at the community event, QuincyFest, a Blues and Barbecue festival celebrated for the past few years in the historic downtown courthouse square in Quincy. Local residents walk among the large barbecue grills and tents where local merchants sell arts and crafts on a hazy afternoon in early May.

James Thigpen was born in the Sawdust neighborhood of Quincy, Florida. He majored in art at Florida A & M University and received a Master's Degree in Administration and Supervision from Florida Atlantic University in 1975. Thigpen worked for over 35 years as a school administrator and retried from the Broward County School system in 2001. Since retiring to Quincy, Thigpen has been an avid landscaper and gardener. Over the years, Thigpen has painted in various media including oil and acrylic and has also worked in pottery and clay sculpture.

QuincyFest I was accepted into the 22nd Annual Art in Gadsden Juried Exhibition of Fine Art and was exhibited at the Gadsden Arts Center in 2010. Randy Pople of the Capital City Trust Company, Tallahassee, Florida, purchased this painting and donated it to the Center in 2011.

Jimmy Lee Sudduth
untitled, n.d.
earth pigments on wood, 12.5” x 42.5”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2009
2009.1.7

This is a painting of an African-American woman in an apron and heels, which was a common subject for Jimmy Lee Sudduth. Sudduth was renowned for his inventive and joyful mud paintings on wood, and his subject matter ranged from southern mansions and cotton picking to Manhattan skylines; however, he mainly depicted the people and places of his hometown, Fayette, Alabama. The Gadsden Arts Center exhibited this work in the exhibition, Vernacular Art from the Hill Collection, August 28–October 25, 2009.
Jimmy Lee Sudduth was born on March 10,1910, and grew up in the home of his stepfather and Native American mother, who practiced herbal medicine and taught Sudduth about plants and their properties. Sudduth worked as a gardener for many years and said that he could obtain 36 different colors from dirt and rocks. He remembers creating his first painting when he was three or four years old; his first drawings in charcoal on wood would wash away until he learned to add honey or syrup to make them last. Sudduth used a combination of substances including dirt, clay, berry juices, leaves, sugar, coffee grounds and ashes for his paintings. He used his fingers to apply his “paint” because “they never wore out”.
In 1968, Sudduth exhibited his work for the first time at Stillman College, in Tuscaloosa, the first in a long line of different venues to exhibit his work. Additional notable appearances included an invitation to exhibit and play his harmonica at the Smithsonian’s Bicentennial Festival of American Folk Art in 1976, and 1980 appearances on the Today Show and 60 Minutes. Sudduth died on September 2, 2007, at the age of 97 at the Fayette Medical Center in his hometown.


Jimmy Lee Sudduth
untitled, n.d.
earth pigments, paint on wood, 24.75” x 12.5”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2009
2009.1.8

Around the early 1990s, Jimmy Lee Sudduth could no longer physically collect the natural materials he traditionally used for pigments, and had to turn to using acrylic paints and sponges. This work by Jimmy Lee Sudduth depicts a waddling bird on wood in pencil and earth pigments and possibly acrylic paint. The bird is speckled with green, blue and orange dots and is surrounded by a brown and white border. Birds were common subjects for Sudduth as these were creatures he often encountered around his home.

Henry Speller (1900–1997)
untitled, n.d.
ink on paper, 14” x 17”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2010
2010.1.12

This untitled drawing by Henry Speller depicts a woman with a fiery red face dressed in blue slacks and green high heels. She may be a stage performer as it appears she is standing in front of draped curtain. From the 1940s until his death, the artist Henry Speller lived and worked from the confines of his neighborhood near Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. His works reflect the bright neon lights and vibrant garments of those who frequented the area in its heyday as well as the everyday life of his surroundings.  
Born in rural Mississippi and raised by his grandmother, Speller spent his childhood amongst the sharecroppers of the Mississippi Delta. Drawing provided both an expressive outlet and a comfort to Speller, who used art as an escape from the boredom and anger that frequently accompanied his days.¹  
Speller’s best-known works feature toothy women with sometimes explicitly outlined genitalia and the long hair and large breasts of his sexual fantasies. Their stylized dresses, resplendent with mechanical patterns, reflect the vibrant garments Speller often saw on the women of Beale Street.² 
Many critics have also recognized in Speller’s works the vivid colors and asymmetrical patterning of African-American quilt making.  This activity was in fact an early influence on Speller’s work.  As a young child, Speller helped his grandmother in her quilting, and this influence, like the trains and riverboats that captured his imagination as a child in the Delta, stayed with him and later emerged in his drawings.³
1 William Arnett, “Henry Speller:  Handy Man,” in Souls Grown Deep:  African-American Vernacular Art of the South, volume 1 (Atlanta:  Tinwood Books, 1996):  384.
2 Frank Maresca and Roger Ricco, “Henry Speller,” in American Self-Taught:  Paintings and Drawings by Outsider Artists (New York:  Alfred A. Knopf, 1993):  231.  
3 Kinshasha Conwill; et al., “Henry Speller,” in Testimony:  Vernacular Art of the African-American South:  The Ronald and June Shelp Collection (New York:  Harry N. Abrams, 2001):  174.


Henry Speller (1900–1997)
Lee Sisters, n.d.
pencil/crayon on paper, 15.75” x 18”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2010
2010.1.13

Lee Sisters is a drawing by Henry Speller which depicts three nude female figures, all with different color hair and skin tones. Most likely, Speller knew these women. Speller’s women, in pencil and crayon on paper, take on an almost predatory feel in their stylized features and exhibit the almost obsessive care with which they are drawn.

Mary Tillman Smith (1904–1995)
untitled, n.d.
paint on wood, 23.75” x 23.75”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2010
2010.1.10
This painting by Mary Tillman Smith depicts 6 figures in black with yellow buttons surrounded by yellow an red dots on a white background. The letters CRTO are written at the center bottom. Born in 1904 in Martinville, Mississippi, Mary Tillman Smith was the third of 13 children in her family who grew up working on a sharecrop farm. From an early age, her family knew she was very intelligent but a severe hearing impairment made her speech difficult to understand, and made her an outcast in local society. She went to school through the 5th grade, where she first found an outlet from her alienation by drawing in the dirt at recess and adding funny text to her drawings. 
Later, after two short and ill-fated marriages, Smith raised a son by herself, living in a house built by the father of her child. There she gained a sense of independence and self-sufficiency that would eventually become key to the creation of her artwork¹. Her first major act of self-expression was to build a fence around her property out of scrap tin found in the junkyard near her house. White-washed and with strategic spacing, the fence became a place to display and contain her paintings and a space that represented everything she needed in the world. It eliminated the necessity to go into town where the citizens assumed she was either unintelligent or crazy. Tillman used these false assumptions to her advantage in her paintings. Many of the “slogans” that accompanied her painted imagery were purposely written unintelligibly in order to reaffirm the town’s perception of her, and served as a sort of “keep out” sign, giving her privacy and security. 
Around 1990 Mary T. Smith stopped painting, and five years later died penniless. Smith’s family could barely afford a funeral for her. Tragically, her home and yard were not preserved after her death; however, many of her paintings have gained much attention and respect and are part of prestigious collections including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the American Folk Art Museum.
1. Arnett, W. “Her Name is Someone.” Souls Grown Deep: African American Vernacular Art. Volume II, eds. William Arnett and Paul Arnett. Tinwood Books: Atlanta, 2001, 114.


Mary Tillman Smith
untitled, n.d.
paint on wood, 24” x 32”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2010
2010.1.11
This painting by Mary T. Smith is typically of Smith’s style and subject matter. The three-quarter length portrait of a green figure is placed on a white background with gold dots surrounding him. Many of Mary Tillman’s paintings are pictures of her friends, neighbors and pets¹. Using mostly house paint on scrap material, Smith’s abstract expressionistic style draws many influences from the large billboards hovering over her property off of State Highway 51 in Hazlehurst, Mississippi.
1. Yelen, A.R. Passionate Visions of the American South. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1993, 328. 

O.L. Samuels (b.1931)
Godzilla, n.d. 
paint on wood, 29” x 84” x 23” 
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2009 
2009.1.6 

Godzilla is a 7-foot tall sculpture carved by Tallahassee artist O.L. Samuels. This imaginary creature is made from a discarded telephone pole and is part of a husband and wife set of these beasts. Godzilla is the female, and her husband, according to the artist, “now lives in Atlanta, Georgia”. The Gadsden Arts Center exhibited this work in the exhibition, Vernacular Art from the Hill Collection, August 28–October 25, 2009.
O.L. Samuels was born in Wilcox County, Georgia, on Nov. 18, 1931. The artist left home when he was eight years old and worked various odd jobs around the country including farmer, professional boxer, and tree surgeon. While working as a tree surgeon in 1982, Samuels was seriously injured and had to spend a lengthy recovery in a wheelchair. The accident sent him into a deep depression, until he remembered his grandmother’s advice to carve wood whenever he was down. This was the beginning of Samuel’s artistic career. Samuels works mainly with found wood such as tree trunks, roots, and old wood furniture, which he will carve for months at a time. Although color-blind, Samuels paints several layers of wild, expressive colors, “using every color so he doesn’t leave any out”. He is known for his imaginary images, dreamlike figures, and mythical creatures, each of which comes with a story about its existence. His work often has a spiritual message, as Samuels became a lay minister later in life.
O.L. Samuels lives in Tallahassee with his wife, using his living room as a workshop. He is considered one of the most talented self-taught artists in America by museums across the country. Samuels’ work is part of several permanent collections, including the Arkansas Arts Center and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.


O.L. Samuels 
Firefly, 2009 
paint on wood, 31” x 24.75” x 5” 
Gift of James and Grace Maloy, 2010 
2010.2 

Firefly is a sculpture of a male Tennessee walking horse, a favorite muse of the Tallahassee artist, O.L. Samuels, adorned with multi-colored glitter paint. The horse’s back legs remain unpainted because, according to the artist, to show that the sculpture is made of wood and so the artist can show off his carving skills.

W. Stanley Proctor
Quails Robert, n.d. 
bronze, 10” x 8” x 10” 
Gift of Count and Mrs. Guy de la Valdene, 2004 
2004.2 

This bronze sculpture by W. Stanley Proctor is of two birds, one of which is bent feeding; and is the sixteenth edition of 30. Native Floridian W. Stanley “Sandy” Proctor has a national reputation as a professional sculptor of the highest caliber. Prior to concentrating in bronze sculpture, Proctor was an accomplished painter and stone carver whose work had been displayed at museums of national and international recognition. The State of Florida recognized Proctor and his contribution to the arts by inducting him into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in March 2006.

Mary L. Proctor (b.1960)

Born to an 11 year-old mother in Jefferson County, Florida, in 1960, Mary L. Proctor was raised by her grandparents, a bi-racial couple who faced much scrutiny from the community. At seventeen, Proctor married a fireman from Tallahassee and began her vast collections of odd and ends she accumulated into a flea market. 
In 1994, a tragic fire took the lives of Proctor’s grandmother, aunt, and uncle. She was devastated by her losses and spent time fasting and praying in an attempt to understand God’s plan for her life. Then a year later, according to Proctor, as she sat in her backyard, a bright light appeared and a voice spoke to her, telling her to find a salvaged door in her yard and paint an image of a lady on this door. She followed the directive and found relief and purpose for her life in creating art that expresses her Christian beliefs and lessons taught to her by her grandmother. Mary sees herself as a missionary and uses her art to spread her message, often writing verses from the Bible and other inspirational messages on her paintings.
Incorporating objects from her junkyard into her work, she creates three-dimensional paintings that speak to the hearts of those that view them. “Missionary Mary” Proctor has found God’s purpose for her, peace from her past, and a mission in life. 
In 2011, Mary Proctor and her family were evicted from the property she has kept as her junkyard and studio for years. Although she has fallen on hard times the artist says, “I started painting because of love and healing”, and she continues to create and sell her visionary work.


Mary L. Proctor
Self-Portrait, n.d.
mixed media (broken glass on found window), 44.5" x 49" x 4.5"
Gift of Su Ecenia, 2011
2011.2
Mary Proctor often depicts herself in her artwork, but in this particular self-portrait she also includes writings about her struggles in life and her relationship with God. Proctor paints herself jumping in the air and holding hands above her head. Her mouth is open and seems to be exclaiming the words around her. Proctor adorns her dress and hat with brightly colored broken glass, and six angels float around the figure, each accompanied by a brightly shining sun. The piece is "begun" by the first lines written above the figure's head: "Have you ever saw a mirror that broke in pieces? That's how my life has been and only the lord is picking me [u]p and he is still mending my broken pieces back together". A self-proclaimed missionary, Proctor uses her artwork to communicate spiritual messages, such as "God is able to mend you if you trust him" and "God's still mending us". Proctor writes about the trying times in her life, like family members dying and her own failing health, and stresses how God is mending her, like the broken pieces of glass that adorn her portrait.

In the 1990s, Leon High School in Tallahassee, Florida, replaced the windows in its historic building and, as a fundraiser, asked local artists to paint the old windows to sell at auction. Su Ecenia of Tallahassee purchased this window decorated by Mary Proctor at the fundraiser and donated it to the Gadsden Arts Center in 2011.


Mary L. Proctor
untitled, 1997
mixed media, 14.5” x 19”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2009
2009.1.10
This mixed media relief image portrays a male figure kneeling with his hands clasped in prayer against a purple and yellow-splotched sky. A spiritual passage is written in black around the figure and reads, “ Once again I fall down on my knees praying, Lord Lord Lord have mercy please. I’m a big boy now. When I was a child moma taught me to pray she said it will be a day you’ll get down and knell out with moma. Lord that day is here.” It is signed, “Missionary Mary Proctor”. The Gadsden Arts Center exhibited this work in the exhibition, Vernacular Art from the Hill Collection, August 28–October 25, 2009.


Mary Proctor
untitled, 1995 
assemblage, 27.5” x 12” x 1” 
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2007 
2007.1.4
Tallahassee artist Mary Proctor created this painted plywood and cloth sculpture in 1995. The sculpture is hand lettered with religious text that reads: “St. Matthew 4-4 – Man shall not live by bread alone. But by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Mary Proctor.” Artist Mary Proctor, also known as Missionary Mary, uses found objects from her junkyard, which she calls the American Folk Art Museum, to create three-dimensional assembled works from buttons, mirrors, jewelry, and other trinkets. Her work is inspired by biblical scripture and memories of her grandmother or her childhood. Most works include written messages of spiritual truths or life lessons. The Gadsden Arts Center exhibited this work in the exhibition, Vernacular Art from the Hill Collection, August 28–October 25, 2009.

Chief Zacheus Olowonubi Oloruntoba (b.1919)
untitled, n.d.
hand-dyed ink on fabric, 12” x 26”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2009
20091.15

Chief Zacheus Olowonubi Oloruntoba is an herbalist, spiritual leader, flutist, and visual artist from the Ogidi village in Nigeria, Africa. When he was 12 years old, Oloruntoba began to have vivid, lucid dreams, and in his culture these dreams were a means for the dead to advise him in his daily life. Oloruntoba’s dreams were so well known that he became a spiritual leader and mentor in his village. With the help of his mother and grandmother, Oloruntoba turned the messages from his dreams into artwork.  

Throughout his life, Oloruntoba has focused on improving his healing powers and used art as a small part of his healing practice. Oloruntoba first began painting at age 15 and began working with herbal hand-dyed cords applied to canvas over 50 years ago. The Chief believes these dyes add curative properties to his paintings, and calls his pieces “paintings for power and life and for protection from sickness and jealousy”. His subjects mainly consist of animals, musicians, his village, and women.

Oloruntoba is a renowned spiritual leader in the Nigerian city of Ogidi and is next in line to succeed his uncle as King of Ogidi. Following tradition, when he becomes king he will no longer create artwork.

Chief Z.O. Oloruntoba has exhibited all over the world in Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Ghana, London, New York, Nigeria, and Paris. His work has been collected by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, Queen Elizabeth II, Muhammad Ali, and David Rockefeller.

Edward “Mr. Eddy” Mumma (1908–1986)
untitled, n.d.
acrylic on canvas, 18” x 24”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2010
2010.1.9

Typical of artist Edward “Mr. Eddy” Mumma, this work features the single portrait of man in elaborate dress with a round face, and the artist has painted portraits on both sides of the canvas. Mumma was originally from Ohio, but retired to Gainesville, Florida, after his wife died to be near his daughter. After moving to Florida, Mumma’s daughter encouraged him to take an art class, and although the teacher told Mumma his style was “sloppy”, and he never took another class, Mumma continued to paint. Mumma rarely sold his work, and kept his entire collection, between 600-800 works, at his house. After his death, all of his work was sold to art collectors¹. It is now available for sale at many folk art galleries, and is in the collection of major museums such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum. 

1. Rosenak, C. and Rosenak, J. “Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century American Folk Art and Artists.” Abbeville Press: New York, 1990.

Mark Miller (b.1959) 
The Time Maiden, 2001 
wood and aluminum, 11” x 75” x 15 1⁄2” 
Purchased by Gadsden Arts, Inc., 2002 
2002.1 

The Time Maiden is constructed with an all-cast aluminum body, and a walnut mounting board and cast face. This clock is the artist’s most unusual outline. The working weight drop mechanism that is typical in many Miller clocks runs about 30 seconds or so to demonstrate the workings of the piece. It is finished in enamel emulsions and weighs around 50 pounds. The jointed construction allows shocks from the falling weight and mechanism to be absorbed. Mark Miller is a Tallahassee artist and has been building things since he was a child, beginning with his version of the robot from the television series Lost in Space. He hand builds the motors and casts them with little interest left for his completed pieces. His muse is the loud mechanical motions of his engines, of which he has made thousands. This piece was part of the exhibition of Mark Miller’s work, Mark Miller: Past Times and Culture Revisited at the Gadsden Arts Center, December 17, 2001-January 14, 2002.

Mark Messersmith
Nightwatcher, 1994 
acrylic on canvas, 66 1⁄2” x 74” x 2” 
Gift of Zoe Golloway, 2000 
2000.2 

Nightwatcher is by Tallahassee artist Mark Messersmith, and is a mixed media relief sculpture concerning issues of Florida’s natural environment and resources. Mark Messersmith holds degrees in art from Indiana University and Fontbonne University and is now a professor of studio art at Florida State University in Tallahassee, where he and his wife Susan make their home. 

Messersmith has been awarded several fellowships and awards including the Joan Mitchell Foundation Painting Award, the Florida Department of State Individual Artist Fellowship Award, the National Endowment for the Arts  Regional Fellowship Award for Emerging Visual Artists and the Ford Foundation Artist Fellowship. Messersmith has been exhibiting his work on a national scale for almost 20 years and has been collected by numerous public and private institutions including the City of Orlando, The Nature Conservancy, the Sheraton Hotel, Bal Harbor, Florida, the University of Florida, and Eastman Pharmaceuticals, Maluern, Pennsylvania.

Ronald Lockett (1965–1998)
Traps, 1993
collage, rope, watercolor on paper
29.75” x 22”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2010
2010.1.8

A common image in Ronald Lockett’s art, Traps is a depiction of a deer caught in a man-made fence. A cousin of the highly regarded Vernacular artist, Thornton Dial, Sr., Ronald Lockett called Dial “Uncle Buck” and considered him a mentor. Lockett says he knew he wanted to be an artist since the 4th grade and was a full-time artist after graduating high school. As a smaller man, Lockett was an outsider in his community and was pushed aside because he couldn’t work manual labor jobs like other men his age. Lockett used found materials like wire, sticks, and tin to construct images he said expressed what he saw as “wrong with society”. The artist died at age 33 of complications from the AIDS virus.

Joe Louis Light (1934–2005)
Joe Light was born in Dyersburg, Tennessee, in 1934. He admitted that his youth was filled with delinquency, and spent time in jail. During his last jail sentence he converted to Judaism after hearing a prison chaplain reading from the Old Testament. He had always resented Christianity because of his father’s harsh Baptist teachings and his belief that Christianity was simply made up of “false promises made by whites to blacks”. This religious conversion is reflected in much of his artwork, as Light’s goal was to spread the word of salvation to everyone around him. 

Light saw himself as a fighter against the shortcomings of humanity, including ignorance, hypocrisy, and injustice, and used his paintings as his weapons. His earliest artwork was writing biblical-sounding pronouncements on highway bridges and sidewalks. Later, he began painting images and sayings on his house, particularly on his shutters. Joe Light’s paintings are characterized by bold, black lines outlining brightly colored cartoon-like figures. He worked with house paint on wood and also painted on discarded objects like hubcaps and old TV sets. Sometimes, instead of painting on the found objects, he placed them directly onto his paintings, adding what he called “attachments”.  These “attachments” are anything from old photographs to toys, and were mostly found at the flea market where he worked for several years.  

In his old age, Light suffered from diabetes and had financial difficulties. Sadly, Light lost his house and yard, which contained much of his artwork before he died in 2005.


Joe Louis Light
untitled, 1993
paint on wood, 75” x 31”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2009
2009.1.11
This untitled painting by Joe Light depicts a large flower-like object in black against an atmosphere of yellow, blue, white and red hazes. The flower is a common subject in Light’s work, and is usually representative to nature and reproduction. The date, 12-23-93, is prominently painted in the lower left corner. The Gadsden Arts Center exhibited this work in the exhibition, Vernacular Art from the Hill Collection, August 28–October 25, 2009.


Joe Louis Light
Four Flowers, n.d.
paint on board, 19.75” x 14”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2010
2010.1.6
Four Flowers is a small painting of tour flowers, each executed in different colors with different backgrounds. The flower is a common subject in Joe Light’s work, and is usually representative to nature and reproduction. Light’s paintings are characterized by bold, black lines outlining brightly colored cartoon-like figures. He worked with house paint on wood and also painted on discarded objects like hubcaps and old TV sets. In his old age, Light suffered from diabetes and had financial difficulties. Sadly, Light lost his house and yard, which contained much of his artwork before he died in 2005.


Joe Louis Light
Baby Shoe, n.d.
paint on board, 22” x 19.5”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2010
2010.1.7
This image by Joe Light depicts a bright forest with trees and flowers, and in the middle the artist has attached a small baby’s shoe. While Joe Light was known for painting on just about any found object, sometimes, Light placed these objects directly onto his paintings, adding what he called “attachments”. These “attachments” are anything from old photographs to toys, and were mostly found at the flea market where he worked for several years.

Elvin Kever
Pecan and Walnut Vessel, 2008
Pecan, Walnut, 4.5" x 7"
Gift of William H. and  Sara Ruth McKeown, 2010
2010.3

This Pecan and Walnut vessel was given to the Arts Center in remembrance of the artist, Elvin Kever, who passed away in August 2010. Born and raised in Gadsden County, Elvin Kever resided in Tallahassee until his death in 2010. He retired in 2002 after working for 26 years with the Federal Department of Justice as a woodworking foreman. Kever worked with wood most of his life and was introduced to woodturning in 1995. Kever preferred to use native green woods and use the lathe to bring out the natural beauty of the wood. The artist never used stain or color on his works, just a clear finish.

Lonnie Holley (b.1950) 
untitled, n.d. 
paint on board, 23.25” x 17.5” 
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2010 
2010.1.5
This untitled painting by Lonnie Holley seems to depict a human face licking a creature that cradles another, possibly human, form. The artist, Lonnie Holley, did not always paint, but instead was a sculptor who began creating his art in 1979 after a house fire tragically killed two of his nieces, sending Holley into a deep depression that almost drove him to suicide. As the family could not afford tombstones for the graves, Holley decided to use his grief constructively and build them himself out of sandstone that he found at a foundry near his sister’s home. Holley believes that divine intervention led him to the material, and thus a deep faith underlies his works.¹

These tombstones mark the beginning of Holley’s artistic career. Soon after creating the tombstones, Holley began turning his yard into a menagerie of found materials and assemblages. In 1980, he took some of his carvings to the Director of the Birmingham Museum of Art who gave Holley his first exhibition.

In the beginning, Holley constructed his sculptures primarily out of industrial-grade sandstone, but later he expanded his materials to include discarded wire, scrap metal, and wood. By the mid-1980s, Holley branched into painting. These works contain West African, Egyptian, and Pre-Columbian era influences through Holley’s strong emphasis on the spiritual world and his use of human and animal forms, and his heritage.
In 1997, the expansion of the Birmingham International Airport forced Holley and five of his children to relocate to Harpersville, Alabama, where today he continues his artistic endeavors. Through personal tragedy, Lonnie Holley discovered a hidden talent and has become one of the foremost Vernacular artists of his time.

1 Kathy Kemp and Keith Boyer, Revelations: Alabama's Visionary Folk Artists (Birmingham: Crane Hill Publishers, 1994), 86.

Bessie Harvey (1929–1994) 
untitled, n.d. 
wood, marbles, 9” x 17” x 4” 
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2010 
2010.1.4

Bessie Harvey created this sculpture from two tree roots and ceramic marbles painted black and red representing a fierce looking creature. Bessie Harvey always felt a deep spiritual connection to the trees and plants around her, and as a young girl she made statues out of tree roots, calling them “little creatures”. She continued creating sculptures from found objects the rest of her life, and considered her art making a form of comfort. Growing up in a difficult family situation, and dropping out of school after the 4th grade, Harvey made a living cleaning houses and working as an aide in a hospital. She married at age 14 and had 11 children who she struggled to care for. Harvey had strong religious convictions and believed she was not an artist, but God was working through her to create her sculptures.

Alyne Harris (b.1942)
The Baptism, n.d.
acrylic on canvas, 30” x 24”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2009
2009.1.14
This painting depicts a group of people in front of their rural church probably before or after a baptism that would be performed in the lake in the foreground. Most of the African-American parishioners in attendance are wearing white robes, and the children stand in front with their arms outstretched. The Gadsden Arts Center exhibited this work in the exhibition, Vernacular Art from the Hill Collection, August 28–October 25, 2009.

Alyne Harris was born in Gainesville, Florida, in 1942, and has lived in Florida for most of her life. Harris works to support herself as a housekeeper during the day, and paints late into the night. A self-taught artist, Harris began “painting” with mud and sand, but now paints with acrylics on board, paper and canvas. She uses brushes, her fingers, and even kitchen utensils to apply liberal amounts of acrylic paint. Her subject matter portrays her rural surroundings, religious scenes, angels and devils, animals and flowers, and African-Americans in their daily lives. Harris is a widely regarded folk artist whose work is included in the collections of the Rockford Art Museum in Illinois, the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Asheville Art Museum in North Carolina.

Thornton Dial, Jr.
untitled, n.d.
mixed media, 39” x 48”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2009
2009.1.5
This assemblage, by Thornton Dial, Jr., depicts an image of a large blue butterfly on a flower, with insects sporting human faces flying nearby. A large tree branch, carpet and scrap metal were attached to the plywood support and painted with saturated primary and secondary colors. The Gadsden Arts Center exhibited this work in its exhibition, Vernacular Art from the Hill Collection, August 28–October 25, 2009.

Thornton Dial Jr. is a son of Thornton Dial, Sr. who was born in 1953 in Bessemer, Alabama. In 1986, inspired by his father’s art, he began creating artwork of his own. Dial Jr. works in several mediums including painting, sculpture, and assemblage. He prefers to paint with oil-based enamel house paint, which he considers to be a basic material, as opposed to using “artist’s paint”, or more traditional materials. His assemblages are made from found and purchased materials, and his sculptures are made from cut and molded sheet metal and iron.  Dial’s paintings are characterized by the use of strong colors, bold lines, and often repetition to emphasize his message.  He uses animals and nature in his work to symbolize social conditions within modern society. Much of his work focuses on the relationships between blacks and whites, as well as man’s relationship to nature. Over the years, Thornton Dial Jr. has gained much recognition for his art and has exhibited around the country.

Archie Byron (1928–2005)
untitled, n.d.
sawdust, glue, paint on tile, 22” x 21” x 3”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2010
2010.1.2

This relief image of a skull and crossbones was created with a mixture of sawdust and glue attached to a commercial ceiling tile. The title has been spray painted various colors while the sawdust mixture is sporadically painted black. The artist, Archie Byron was from Atlanta, Georgia, and lived in one of its poorest districts. After serving in the Navy, working as a bricklayer, working for the sheriff’s department and owning several private businesses, Bryon owned a gun shop where inspiration struck him to begin creating art. He first began assembling sculptures from tree roots, and in 1977 he created his own sculptural medium from sawdust and glue. Bryon also served as a city-councilman in Atlanta for 9 years. For the last 15 years of his life, the artist worked exclusively on his art, creating almost life-size figures from his sawdust medium, and using his art to comment on various social and political subjects.

Richard Burnside
The King Suffering, n.d.
collage on wood, 23.5” x 21”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2009
2009.1.17

The King Suffering depicts the floating head of a red-faced King with a yellow crown that is centered on a dark brown background surrounded by white symbols. These lines are arranged in a partly symmetrical pattern, each containing red, yellow and black dots. The face is the only relief image, created from a thick paper, painted, and attached to the plywood.

Richard Burnside was born in 1944 and grew up in South Carolina, and after a brief stint in the military, moved back to the state. The artist began painting in his mid 30s because he was plagued by night visions of ancient times. His most common subjects are ancient kings and queens, jungle cats, and white wolves. His figures often have flat, round, mask-like faces executed in heavy outline and bright colors against dark backgrounds. Around his figures Burnside paints symbols and patterns that recall aboriginal designs, African needlework, and 1950s expressionists from Cologne, Brussels, and Amsterdam.

Hawkins Bolden (1914–2005)
untitled, n.d.
mixed media (found materials), 26” x 79” x 9”
Gift of Lou and Calynne Hill, 2010
2010.1.1

This untitled totem assemblage by Hawkins Bolden is made from found materials including wood, pots, pans, carpet, nails, tin can, and a leather glove. The underlying structure is a cross constructed from two battered 2x4s.

Hawkins Bolden was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and at age eight suffered a debilitating blow to the head, which later caused him to go blind. In spite of his disability, the artist was able to create his large-scale assemblages without difficulty. Bolden lived in the same small house in his hometown for over 70 years in a neighborhood where he collected objects for his sculptures. Calling his totem-like sculptures “scarecrows”, Bolden filled his yard with his creations to keep birds out of his garden.

Bob Bischoff
Flying Heron, 1987 
embossed print, 39” x 28.5” 
Gift of Zoe Golloway, 2005 
2005.1 
This piece was first created by the artist, Bob Bischoff, as a stained glass diptych in the late 1970s, and is the third edition of 2,500. The artist credits the inspiration for this image to a placemat at a restaurant near Lake Okeechobee, Florida. The mold was created from glass, and the image was blind embossed with 100% cotton liner paper. Embossing is a process by which an image is created by pressing paper onto a mold (either with a press or by hand) into an enamel tray. Bob Bischoff lives in Quincy and graduated in 1972 from Florida State University. Bob and his wife, fellow artist Jo Ann, are internationally known and have worked in South America, Japan, France, England, and India. Bischoff is the founder of the Master Craftsman Program at Florida State University, which is designed to teach by doing as well as explaining, much like a craftsman and apprentice relationship.

Beth Appleton
Back to the Garden, 2000 
cut paper collage, 47” x 28” 
Purchased by Gadsden Arts Inc., 2000 
2000.1 
Back to the Garden is a tribute to the special things and people in artist Beth Appleton’s life. Fertility symbolizes Quincy, Florida’s, fertile clay soil and the flowers symbolize the special local people of Quincy who have affected Appleton’s life. The artist chose colors from across the spectrum, most notably deep cobalt blue, blood red, maroon, green, purple, magenta, yellow, orange, and pink. According to Appleton, the focal point is the sun mandala, and the detail is the communication between the sun and the flowers representing the energy between them. The title signifies celebrating a homecoming, and also getting back to the things that have always brought the artist joy and personal inner peace.
This piece was exhibited in the first exhibition in the Bell & Bates Building September 17-October 28, 2000. A “Back to the Garden” challenge was sent to the Gadsden Arts membership asking them to contribute money to buy Back to the Garden and help build the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection. Because of the successfulness of the challenge, Back to the Garden became the first piece formally acquired by the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection.


Beth Appleton
First Annual Art in Gadsden Poster, 1989 
print, 18” x 24” 
Gift of Zoe Golloway, 2008 
2008.1
This is the first Art in Gadsden exhibition poster created by the exhibition’s founder, Beth Appleton, in 1989. Appleton’s husband, David Harbaugh, crafted the poster’s frame out of reclaimed wood. Zoe Golloway, Gadsden Arts’ first Executive Director, donated the framed poster to the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection in December 2008.


Beth Appleton
Floridala: Two Score, 2008 
hand-painted cut paper collage, 18” x 18” 
Gadsden Arts, Inc. purchase with funds from an anonymous donor, 2008 
2008.2 
Floridala: Two Score was created by Art in Gadsden exhibition founder, Beth Appleton, in 2008, to symbolize the 20th year anniversary of the Art in Gadsden Exhibition. Beth Appleton is a native of Ocala, Florida, and studied underwater ballet as a child in preparation to become a Weekie Wachee mermaid when she grew up. Early years of dance and creative writing would inspire the lyrical artworks and books she would later create. She received her degree from Florida State University and spent many years teaching art professionally. She has also traveled extensively, and with her husband David Harbaugh’s encouragement, established an art studio near the rural community of Quincy, Florida. She later relocated to St. George Island, off the Florida panhandle, contributing to Appleton’s unique blend of cultural diversity that spans the state of Florida.