History of talent

It seems appropriate on Lincoln’s Birthday, sitting as it does in the middle of Black History Month, to take a look at a number of local art exhibitions featuring primarily African-American artists or themes.

The old argument of whether an artist’s ethnicity has anything to do with his or her skill as a painter, sculptor or printmaker is sure to come up. That acknowledgement should serve to head off this debate, as the real point is the grandeur, vision and execution of the art itself.

The exhibitions include drawings at the Delaware Art Museum, a celebration of community being shown at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and a trio of diverse works at the African American Museum in Philadelphia.

"Glorious Dignity" at the Delaware Art Museum’s temporary location runs through March 7 and consists of drawings of the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott by Harvey Dinnerstein and Burton Silverman. The New York artists were inspired by Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus. They went to the scene and prepared their drawings directly from life and right on the spot. The drawings have a sense of the moment and are so skillfully rendered that they can be appreciated both as accurate historical documents and as representational art.

The term "glorious dignity" comes from a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. following the Supreme Court decision that ruled bus segregation unconstitutional.

"Violence must not come from any of us, for if we become victimized by violent intents, we have walked in vain, and our 12 months of glorious dignity will be transformed into an eve of gloomy catastrophe," King cautioned.

The drawings, almost 40 of them, range from portraits to courtroom drama to everyday life, and depict a deep commitment toward non-violence and civil rights. The work comes from the museum’s permanent collection and is accompanied by a number of public programs.

At the Academy, "African-American Artists Celebrate Community" also is comprised of paintings from the permanent collection. The museum’s long history was recently rejuvenated by collecting African-American art for this superstar show that runs through April 4.

The show easily could have been titled "Great American Artists," as the lineup includes Dox Thrash, Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, Faith Ringgold, Charles Burrell and Humbert Howard. All are top-notch painters and even they take second seat to Horace Pippen, who dazzles despite only having a few works in the show. In the works on exhibit, Pippen concentrates on the outdoors and features ice-fishing, camping, bear-hunting and duck-shooting. His maple-sugaring picture along the Brandywine River is magic, quite unlike his better-known historical scenes. Frankly, no American artist of any ethnicity would do well up against Pippen.

This show also is accompanied by a number of public programs, including a Feb. 21 workshop on how to paint dreams and another on March 20 on how to make a quilt.

The African American Museum in Philadelphia is presenting "Prints From the Collection" through March 14. This show features "printmaking artists who have helped to create and redefine the black aesthetic."

According to the museum, many of the assembled drawings, etchings, woodcuts, linocuts, serigraphs and silkscreens have never been shown in public before.

In addition, the museum also is exhibiting "Lincoln University: Celebrating a Tradition of Excellence" and "Exploring Africa: Symbols, Ceremonies and Traditions," both through June 6. The show focused on Lincoln commemorates the 200-year history of the predominantly black school and includes documents, photographs and profiles of prominent graduates. By example, the show also illuminates the history and role of other black colleges and universities.

"Exploring Africa" celebrates, "decorative, ceremonial, utilitarian, sacred and secular objects from a myriad of groups throughout the African continent, including Liberia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, the Congo, Mali, Ghana and Nigeria."

One of the themes explored is the influence of African artifacts on Western art and Western art collections. This contemporary issue is best reflected in the current dispute over the relocation of the Barnes Foundation.

The foundation, located in Lower Merion, is rich in both 19th- and 20th-century French art and African sculpture. Over the years of viewing the collection, it is the African collection that maintains its freshness, creativity and relevance over the rather musty-looking French Impressionists.

Glorious Dignity
Through March 7
Delaware Art Museum
Bank One Center
Wilmington, Del.
302-571-9590
www.delart.org

African-American Artists Celebrate Community
Through April 4
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
118 N. Broad St.
215-972-7600
www.pafa.org

Prints From the Collection
Through March 14

and

Lincoln University: Celebrating a Tradition of Excellence

and

Exploring Africa: Symbols, Ceremonies and Traditions
Through June 6
African American Museum of Philadelphia
Seventh and Arch streets
215-574-0380
www.aampmuseum.org