Edwin Harleston HBCU Showcase

May 8, 2023 @ 12:00 AM - May 14, 2023 @ 12:00 AM

Ruth and Bill Baker Art Sales Gallery

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The Gibbes Museum of Art and the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture present The Edwin Harleston HBCU Showcase, a pop-up exhibition that will travel to the Gibbes Museum of Art and the Avery Research Center, in downtown Charleston, SC. Inspired by the legacy of noted artist and Charleston-native Edwin Harleston (1882-1931), a graduate of the Avery Normal Institute, the first accredited secondary school for African Americans in the area, this exhibition will showcase the work of individuals who attend or have recently graduated from the following HBCUs: Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Spelman College, Savannah State, Claflin University, South Carolina State University, Benedict College, Allen University, Voorhees College, Denmark Technical College, and Clinton College. 

The purpose of this showcase is to provide HBCU students, in the region, with the opportunity to showcase their talent and sell their artwork amidst Charleston’s arts hub. Edwin Harleston was a distinguished artist whose efforts were constantly constrained by racial barriers, but who, nonetheless, would travel the world making art and would also serve as the first president of the Charleston chapter of the NAACP. His work now resides at the Gibbes Museum, The Avery Research Center, and the Johnson Collection among others. 

Applicants will have until Sunday May 14 at 11:59pm to apply for this exhibition through SlideRoom.  Applicants whose work has been selected will be notified by the close of business day Monday May 15th. Upon notification, artists will have until Friday May 19th to transport their work, prepared for installation, to the Gibbes. This will be a traveling exhibition. Selected artists will have the opportunity to sell and exhibit their work at the Gibbes Museum from Monday May 22 – June 5. The showcase will then travel and be displayed at the Avery Research Center from June 12- June 30. Artists will be responsible for retrieving their works at the closing of the showcase, located at the Avery Research Center, no later than Friday July 7th.

For general questions about the Edwin A. Harleston HBCU Showcase, please contact Jordan Sprueill, Associate Curator of Contemporary Initiatives and Visiting Artists at [email protected].

The Gibbes Museum of Art’s multi-dimensional education and outreach programs are designed to expand the museum experience, foster a personal relationship between our visitors and the works, generate critical conversation on the art and culture of Charleston and the Lowcountry, and grow an increasingly diverse Museum audience.

Over 3000 patrons visit the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture annually, ranging from scholars and lecturers to school groups and universities, to families and community members from all over the world. The Avery Research Center provides tours and spotlights local and national talents in various forms of creative expression. 

Rules and Requirements

SUBMIT APPLICATION