FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 16, 2013
Media Contact: Michelle Riley
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
912.790.8890
[email protected]
African American “Great Migration” Portrayed in Art and Words
Free lecture and exhibit describe how artists depicted the movement
of black people from the rural south to the urban north in the early 20th century
Savannah, GA….The Telfair Museums is honored to host distinguished curator and director
Edmund Barry Gaither on Thursday, October 24 at 6 p.m. at the Jepson Center. Dr. Gaither,
speaker for the annual Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Lecture, will discuss how African
American artists depicted the Great Migration, a demographic shift of black people from rural
southern communities to urban northern cities during the early 20th century. The lecture is free
and open to the public.
Between 1910 and the beginning of World War II, more than 1.5 million African Americans left
the south in search of greater opportunity and freedom from the discrimination and Jim Crow
laws of the segregated south. The Great Migration directly affected African American artists as
they experienced and observed the changes. Gaither will focus on Jacob Lawrence, renowned
artist and lecture namesake, who painted The Migration Series, a sequence of 60 paintings
created from 1940 to 1941 and the most famous visual presentation of the topic. In his
discussion, Gaither will draw parallels between the Great Migration in art and its treatment in
literature such as Native Son by Richard Wright and in music, especially the blues.
Gaither also will highlight other artists, musicians and writers who offered different perspectives
on the migration.
“In my lecture, I will explain how many Northerners increasingly viewed Southerners as ‘rural’
and ‘unsophisticated’ and many Southerners found the North cold both physically and
emotionally,” Gaither said. “Some artists’ works focused on the great role played by train
stations and trains, the literal arteries that linked the regions. Still other works treat the Great
Migration as the unfolding of a fantastic new opportunity without yet knowing how it would turn
out.”
“We welcome Dr. Gaither to Telfair Museums and are excited to learn about the individuals who
told the story of the Great Migration in their art, writing and music,” said Lisa Groves, Telfair
Museums’ director and CEO. “The Great Migration was a landmark event in U.S. history, and
Dr. Gaither’s knowledge of Jacob Lawrence and other artists of that time will help us understand
this important subject. We hope to see art and history enthusiasts at the lecture, as well as
students who can learn about this historic event.”
Since 1969, Gaither has been Director and Curator of the National Center of Afro-American
Artists (NCAAA) and Special Consultant at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gaither has
lectured and published extensively. At the Museum of Fine Arts, he has served as curator for
eight exhibitions. For the NCAAA, Gaither developed the Museum from a concept to an
institution, with collections exceeding 3,000 objects and a 32-year history of exhibitions
celebrating the visual arts heritage of black people worldwide.
The program is free of charge thanks to financial support from the City of Savannah Department
of Cultural Affairs and the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation. Telfair
Museums’ Friends of African American Arts are sponsoring the reception that will follow the
lecture.
A small exhibit located on the second floor at the Jepson Center will highlight art from the
Telfair’s permanent collection by artists who were part of the Great Migration or who served as
storytellers of the historic event. Artists include Romare Bearden who worked in a variety of
media; sculptor Augusta Savage; master printmaker Dox Thrash; and Savannah-born painter
Luther Vann. Lawrence’s work is represented in a serigraph from the Migration Series called
The Migrants Arrive and Cast Their Ballots. The exhibit will be available for viewing from
October 21 to December 1.
ABOUT TELFAIR MUSEUMS:
Founded in 1886, Telfair Museums is the oldest public art museum in the South and features a
world-class art collection in the heart of Savannah’s National Historic Landmark District. The
museum includes two National Historic Landmark Buildings—the Telfair Academy and the
Owens-Thomas House—and the contemporary Jepson Center. With three unique buildings
housing three distinct collections, Telfair Museums bridges three centuries of art and
architecture.
Admission to the lecture is free. For a fee of $20, visitors may purchase a triple-site pass that
does not expire and gives one-time entry to the Jepson Center, Owens-Thomas House and
Telfair Academy. Group tours are available for groups of 10 or more.
Jepson Center hours: Sunday & Monday 12–5 pm; Tuesday & Wednesday 10 am–5 pm;
Thursday; 10 am–8 pm; Friday & Saturday; 10 am–5 pm
Telfair Academy hours: Sunday 1–5 pm; Monday 12–5 pm; Tuesday–Saturday; 10 am–5 pm
Owens-Thomas House hours: Sunday 1–5 pm; Monday 12–5 pm; Tuesday–Saturday; 10 am–
5 pm (guided tours only - last tour leaves at 4:30 pm)
For more information, call 912.790.8802 or visit www.telfair.org.
Jepson Center - 207 W. York Street, on Telfair Square
Telfair Academy - 121 Barnard Street, on Telfair Square
Owens-Thomas House - 124 Abercorn Street, on Oglethorpe Square
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