PAINTING WITH LIGHT
The Art of Bunch Washington

Phillips Museum, Fall 2014
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Painting with Light: The Art of Bunch Washington was presented in partnership with "Rethinking Relationships," a Psychology conference designed to harvest insights about the nature and causes of healthy relationships. 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.   
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"Sophisticated Lady," Transparent Collage by M. Bunch Washington

The three-semester course 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.

Highlights included a field trip to Philadelphia to visit with archivists at the Barnes Foundation, where Washington studied, and a trip to the Harlem-based home of two-time 

The F&M contingent visits the home of Les Payne (rear, celebrating) in New York City

Pulitzer Prize winner Les Payne (1941 - 2018). 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.  

Elizabeth de Souza at the entrance of her exhibition "Painting with Light"