WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — “By Special Request,” the current exhibit at Winston-Salem State University’s Diggs Gallery, was not originally on the schedule. In fact, the gallery was set to close for a renovation. But when the work was delayed, gallery director and curator Belinda Tate had an idea. By calling on colleagues in her field and obtaining input from WSSU faculty, she and her staff pulled together an exhibition that will remain until the renovation begins later this year. The result is a short-term, thought-provoking exhibit with some big impact art.
Tate routinely confers with faculty from the College of the Arts and Sciences and others about how the gallery can be a relevant resource for students. Students in English, photography, print-making, art history, animation, history, religion, African-American studies, African studies and other courses regularly visit Diggs Gallery to expand their knowledge of culture as well as artistic techniques. For “By Special Request,” Tate visualized art from a variety of cultures and media.
“My challenge was to condense all the varied requests into a cohesive selection of works that met a wide range of curricular needs,” she said. “But that’s what we do at Diggs, we are always supporting faculty in the teaching process.” Though the room is teeming with works from a variety of countries and media, the colors and organization of the art are inviting, not overwhelming. “A good exhibition must always flow visually and intellectually,” said Tate, looking at the diversity of the art. “Despite the fact that the work spans 150 years and four continents, there is a rhythm and synergy here that allow students to extract multiple layers of meaning from the works.”
The colorful exhibit, which is free to the community, features 69 works by 56 American, African, Haitian, Japanese and European artists. Of the works, three-quarters were borrowed from private collections like that of Cheryl Sutton from Cary, N.C. The works offer historical perspectives and cultural diversity. From ceremonial masks to lithographs, the exhibit spans the gamut. Intricate raffia mats were created by members of the Kuba ethnic group in Africa. Traditionally, men wove the raffia mats and women embroidered them. An airy Impressionistic work by Andrew Turner entitled Duet (1999) depicts two African-American children side-by-side playing a duet on a piano, their backs to the viewer.
The exhibit includes Praying Deacon (1999), a tranquil, but powerful wood carving by Carolinas sculptor M. Leon Woods. Woods’ carvings are inspired by the traditional African techniques demonstrated to him by Bruckner Dogbe of Ghana and the late Lamidi Fakeye of Nigeria while he studied and worked at WSSU. Woods graduated from the fine arts program at Winston-Salem State University and has exhibited his work throughout North and South Carolina.
The exhibition also includes works by African-American masters John Biggers, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Hughie Lee-Smith, Lois Mailou Jones and David Driskell. Three prints in the show by North Carolina native Biggers depict African-American and African cultural themes that are reminiscent of his mural techniques. Biggers, known internationally for his murals, was both an artist and long-time educator in Texas, whose work has been exhibited throughout the country. Much of his work reflects his spirituality.
David Driskell’s lithograph, Spirits Watching (1986), is a stand-out in the exhibition. His thoughtful work fosters a rich dialogue about art-making, technique, history and spirituality. Driskell has been a practicing artist since the 1950s, and his works are in museums throughout the world, including the National Gallery of Art, the High Museum of Art and the Yale University Art Gallery. The University of Maryland established the Driskell Center in his honor and he received the National Humanities Medal from President Bill Clinton.
