PAINTING WITH LIGHT
The Art of Bunch Washington
Phillips Museum, Fall 2014
The Art of Bunch Washington
Phillips Museum, Fall 2014
Painting with Light: The Art of Bunch Washington was presented from September 3 - October 31 in partnership with "Rethinking Relationships," a Psychology conference designed to harvest insights gleaned over the last few decades about the nature and causes of healthy relationships.
"Sophisticated Lady," Transparent Collage by M. Bunch Washington
The exhibition was an outgrowth of a course taught by the show’s curators, Elizabeth de Souza, daughter of the artist, and Dr. Michael Penn of F&M's Psychology Department. The course, which ran for three semesters, used Bunch Washington’s life and art as a lens to explore the relationship between art, culture and mental health. It also sought to understand how this relationship has influenced American culture, and its relevance to people of all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.
The course had three main components: research, experiential learning, and finally, mounting and curating the show. Highlights of the first two components included a field trip to Philadelphia to visit with archivists at the Barnes Foundation, where Washington studied, and a visit to the Harlem-based home of two time Pulitzer Prize winner Les Payne, a friend of Washington's.
The course had three main components: research, experiential learning, and finally, mounting and curating the show. Highlights of the first two components included a field trip to Philadelphia to visit with archivists at the Barnes Foundation, where Washington studied, and a visit to the Harlem-based home of two time Pulitzer Prize winner Les Payne, a friend of Washington's.
The F&M contingent visits the home of Les Payne (rear, celebrating) in New York City
Students interviewed Payne about his experiences as an African-American writer of Washington's generation, and also viewed his collection, which includes original works by Romare Bearden, Horace Pippin and Elizabeth Catlett, among others. Payne also owns two Washingtons: "Sophisticated Lady," and "Tribute to Les," both of which were exhibited during "Painting with Light."
Inside the Dana Gallery at the Phillips Museum.