CHARLESTON, S.C., August 4, 2020 – The Gibbes Museum of Art is pleased to announce their newest special exhibition, Building a Legacy: The Vibrant Vision Collection of Jonathan Green and Richard Weedman. This exhibition is a selection of 49 works of art from the private collection of acclaimed Charleston artist Jonathan Green and his partner and studio director, Richard Weedman. Building a Legacy will be on display in the museum’s Gallery 8 from August 21, 2020 – January 10, 2021.
“We are thrilled to exhibit this remarkable collection of one of Charleston’s most beloved artists,” said Angela Mack, executive director of the Gibbes Museum of Art. “Selections from this collection were first shown at the Gibbes in 2013 and since then, Jonathan and Richard have worked closely with us on numerous community events and educational programs. Building a Legacy represents the next step in this collaboration, offering a deeper look at their collection and the incredible legacy they are building for our community.”
Over the past forty years, Green and Weedman have amassed an astonishing collection of nearly 1,300 paintings, sculpture and works on paper. Building a Legacy presents a selection of works of art from this significant private collection, offering a rare glimpse at the couple’s aesthetic interests and the artistic inspiration behind Green’s own artwork.
Building a Legacy explores the themes of work, love, belonging and spirituality. Works in the exhibition portray tender moments between a parent and child, struggles for racial equality, pride in ancestral heritage and strength derived through personal faith. The collection also expands the traditional notion of American art and identity, embracing a Pan American approach that goes beyond the United States to include art and artists of African, Caribbean and Latin American descent. This approach provides a broader look at our nation’s history and a better understanding of what it means to be American today. In addition to Green’s own work, highlights of the collection include works by artists such as, Jacob Lawrence, Elizabeth Catlett, Charles White, David Driskell, Sam Gilliam, and Reynier Llanes.
The exhibition is sponsored by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Gibbes Women’s Council and ArtMag.
Click here for a special interview with Jonathan Green and Fox 24.
Editor’s Note: For high-res images, visit https://bit.ly/2T92Epu. For more information on the exhibition, visit https://bit.ly/2EqwlOr.
To coincide with the opening of Building a Legacy: The Vibrant Vision Collection of Jonathan Green and Richard Weedman, the Gibbes will host related virtual programming.
- For Which it Stands: A Virtual Town Hall Series – August 29, September 26, October 17
Inspired by the exhibition Building a Legacy, this three-part series invites participants to a town hall-style Zoom with local artists and community stakeholders where participants will address what makes a community, as we grapple with the effects of a global pandemic and a renewed reckoning with racial injustice. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
- Ecos: Arte Urgent: Experiences of Latinx Immigrants in the Lowcountry, August 29
- Art and Agriculture: Black Farming and Foodways, September 26
- The Real Rainbow Row: LGBTQ+ History in the Lowcountry, October 17
- Virtual Monoprints with Lese Corrigan – September 1, 8 & 15
Inspired by the masterful works of Sam Gilliam featured in Building a Legacy, artist and gallery owner Lese Corrigan will teach a three-part class on the fun and fast-paced technique of monoprinting. The class will take place over Zoom moderated by a Gibbes staff member.
- Virtual Tour with Jonathan Green – September 10
Explore Building a Legacy with artist and collector Jonathan Green. This virtual tour is $15 for members and $20 for non-members. This virtual program is made possible by the generous support of Art Bridges.
- Saturday Morning Art Camp – September 12, October 3, November 14
Join teaching artist Janell Walker Smalls on Saturdays for a fun morning of artmaking inspired by artists and objects in Building a Legacy.
- Literary Gibbes: A Virtual Book Club Discussion – September 25
Join a virtual book club-style discussion in collaboration with the Charleston County Public Library inspired by Building a Legacy. The discussion will focus on the exhibition and the book “On Beauty” by Zadie Smith. The story is about an interracial family living in the university town of Wellington, Massachusetts, whose misadventures in the culture wars—on both sides of the Atlantic—serve to skewer everything from family life to political correctness to the combustive collision between the personal and the political. Participants should read the book so you can participate in the discussion. Discussion is free for all, but registration is required.
- Studio Hours with Jonathan Green – October 7, 10, 14, 21
The Gibbes is offering an exclusive opportunity to visit acclaimed artist Jonathan Green in the Gibbes studios. Registration is limited and costs $35 for members and $45 for non-members.
- Virtual Curator-led Tours – October 22, November 19
Curator-led tours of Building a Legacy will be streamed through the Gibbes Museum of Art’s Facebook page and are free for all.
- Virtual Storytime at the Gibbes – December 17
Join us for a virtual storytime in collaboration with the Charleston County Public Library. Families will enjoy stories and songs inspired by Building a Legacy. Storytime will air on the Gibbes Museum of Art’s Facebook page.
For more information about these programs, visit www.gibbesmuseum.org.
About the Gibbes Museum of Art
Home to the Carolina Art Association, established in 1858, the Gibbes Museum of Art is recognized among the oldest arts organizations in the United States. Housing one of the foremost collections of American Art from the 18th century to the present, the museum’s mission is to enhance lives through art by engaging people of every background and experience with art and artists of enduring quality and by providing opportunities to learn, to discover, to enjoy and to be inspired by the creative process. For more information, visit www.gibbesmuseum.org.
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Top image: Hog Series XXVI, 1996, by Tarleton Blackwell (American, b. 1956); graphite, prismacolor, and watercolor on paper; Courtesy of Jonathan Green and Richard Weedman