from the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection
Vernacular Art from the Gadsden Arts Center Permanent Collection is an exhibition of 36 works of art mainly from the distinguished collection of Calynne and Lou Hill of Tallahassee, Florida, featuring art by self-taught artists of the South Eastern United States. Artists included in the exhibition are Thornton Dial Sr., Thornton Dial Jr., Hawkins Bolden, Richard Burnside, Archie Byron, Alyne Harris, Bessie Harvey, Lonnie Holley, Edward Mumma, Joe Light, Ronald Lockett, Mary Proctor, O.L. Samuels, Mary T. Smith, Henry Speller, Jimmy Lee Sudduth, Mose Tolliver, Ruby C. Williams, and Purvis Young.

The exhibition is centered around the work of the most famous Vernacular artist from the Southeast, Thornton Dial, Sr., an artist who is considered one of the most creative geniuses of his time and whose work has shattered the art world’s notion of “folk” and “outsider” art. In March 2011, the Indianapolis Museum of Art revealed a new traveling retrospective of Dial’s work: Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial, which will travel throughout the southeast. The popularity of this exhibition and the buzz surrounding Dial led Time magazine to publish an article noting the artist’s elevation into the art world: “What he does can be discussed as art, just art, no surplus notions of outsiderness required”.

Most recently, this exhibition traveled to Charleston, South Carolina, where it was received with much acclaim at the Gibbes Museum of Art. For information about the Gadsden Arts Center Vernacular Art Traveling Exhibition, please contact Curator Angie Barry at (850) 627-5021 or angie.barry@gadsdenarts.org.


Eluster Richardson: The Life of a Quilt
organized by the Gadsden Arts Center
Experience the rich tradition of quilting in the South through an exhibition of watercolor and oil paintings by Tallahassee artist Eluster Richardson.
Eluster Richardson: The Life of a Quilt highlights a sense of home and tradition captured through the tradition of quilting that crosses all boundaries. Richardson, who is known for his unique and expressive paintings that focus on both cultural and familial connections, creates paintings incorporating quilts and quilting in everyday life, illustrating a quilting culture of the past and present.

Eluster Richardson: The Life of a Quilt is an exhibition of 29 watercolor and oil paintings complemented by 5 hand-sewn heirloom quilts created by the artist’s mother who is also his muse and inspiration. Richardson’s unique style orchestrates realism, abstraction, and movement to eloquently express his clear love for his subject matter and need to communicate this love to his audience. One cannot help but be moved by Richardson’s paintings; they speak of family, tradition, and community. The Life of a Quilt is a beautiful example of the marriage of one man’s love for his family and tradition with a love for his art.
For information, please contact Curator Angie Barry at (850) 627-5021 or angie.barry@gadsdenarts.org.