Two Special Exhibitions Open at the Gibbes on January 11, 2013
December 18, 2012
CHARLESTON, SC – December 18, 2012 – The Gibbes Museum of Art announces the opening of two special exhibitions on January 11, 2013, Vibrant Vision: The Collection of Jonathan Green and Richard Weedman and Witness to History: Civil Rights Era Photographs by James Karales.
In the Main Gallery, Vibrant Vision will showcase Green and Weedman’s remarkable collection of modern and contemporary art in a variety of media including paintings, prints, and a number of impressive sculptures. The Rotunda Gallery will feature iconic images of the Civil Rights movement including photographs of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the historic 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
“Both exhibitions shed insight on an incredibly significant period of American history,” noted Gibbes Executive Director Angela Mack. “The photographs of James Karales offer an intimate glimpse of the Civil Rights movement in action, while Jonathan and Richard’s remarkable collection provides a broader perspective of the twentieth century and the diverse influences that have shaped American art and culture.”
Vibrant Vision: The Collection of Jonathan Green and Richard Weedman
On view from January 11 through April 21, 2013, Vibrant Vision features paintings, sculpture, and works on paper collected over the past thirty-five years by acclaimed artist Jonathan Green and his partner and studio manager Richard Weedman. The exhibition features works by artists of African American, Caribbean, Latin American, and American decent that reflect the diverse cultural influences that have shaped American art since the twentieth century.
Reflecting this diversity, Vibrant Vision includes works created in a variety of styles and explores the themes of work, love, belonging, and spirituality. Green and Weedman’s collection is particularly strong in works from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) era of the 1930s and 40s, as represented by William H. Johnson and Charles White, among others. Vibrant Vision offers the unique opportunity to view the artwork that inspires Green and Weedman, along with five paintings created by Green himself. Green has exhibited widely, and his work is included in numerous public and private collections, including the Gibbes Museum of Art.
Vibrant Vision: The Collection of Jonathan Green and Richard Weedman is sponsored by the member auxiliary group Gibbes, etc., BlueCross BlueShield of SC, and Art Mag.
Related Programming:
Exhibition Tours led by Jonathan Green and Richard Weedman
Thursdays, January 24, February 21, March 14, and April 18 at 2:30pm
Free with museum admission
Art of Healing
Thursday, January 31, from 6 – 8 pm: a conversation and cocktail reception with Jonathan Green, Richard Weedman, and Jeb Hallett M.D.
$20 Members, $30 Non-Members
Society 1858 presents Habanero Rhythm
In celebration of Vibrant Vision: The Collection of Jonathan Green and Richard Weedman
Friday, February 8, from 8 – 11pm
Tickets: $50 Society 1858 Members; $75 Non-Members; $110 includes event ticket and an annual Membership to Society 1858 & the Gibbes Museum. ($120 value)
Witness to History: Civil Rights Era Photographs by James Karales
As part of the forthcoming 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th anniversary of desegregation in South Carolina public education, the Gibbes Museum of Art is showcasing an iconic collection of Civil Rights Era photographs by acclaimed photographer James Karales. Engaged as a photo-journalist for Look magazine, Karales witnessed and documented many historic events during the Civil Rights movement, and created some of the era’s most iconic images. On view January 11 through May 12, 2013, this exhibition will feature over forty vintage photographs from the Estate of James Karales that offer insight into this remarkable period of history—a period in which the visual image was crucial in communicating the struggle for justice to the world.
Born in Canton, Ohio, the son of Greek immigrants, James Karales (1930-2002) graduated from Ohio University in 1955 with a BFA in photography. On assignment for Look magazine in the 1960s, Karales created some of the most indelible images of the Civil Rights movement. In 1962, Karales traveled extensively with Dr. Martin Luther King, and in 1965, he documented the Selma to Montgomery March for Voting Rights. Karales captured with his camera every aspect of this historic five-day march and in the process created some of his most powerful work.
Witness to History will be part of the College of Charleston’s 2013 Jubilee Project, a collaborative academic and cultural initiative extending across the Carolina Lowcountry, to acknowledge the forthcoming anniversaries. The Jubilee Project is an outgrowth of the College’s five-year Civil War sesquicentennial commemoration.
Witness to History: Civil Rights Era Photographs by James Karales is sponsored by Gateway Magazine.
Related Programming:
Curator-led Tours
Conducted by Sara Arnold, Curator of Collections
Thursdays, February 7 and March 7 at 2:30pm
Free with museum admission
About Gibbes Museum of Art
Established as the Carolina Art Association in 1858, the Gibbes Museum of Art opened its doors to the public in 1905. Located in Charleston’s historic district, the Gibbes houses a premier collection of over 10,000 works, principally American with a Charleston or Southern connection, and presents special exhibitions throughout the year. In addition, the museum offers an extensive complement of public programming and educational outreach initiatives that serve the community by stimulating creative expression and improving the region’s superb quality of life. Visit highlights of the Gibbes collection on Google Art Project at www.googleartproject.com.
