On August 26, 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪβs Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery will present Gettinβ It Done: A Selection of Work by Elizabeth Catlett, Samella Lewis, Betye Saar, Emma Amos, Alison Saar, Letitia Huckaby, LaToya Hobbs and Kenturah Davis. The exhibition, which continues through October 15, features almost 50 works by celebrated Black artists from the 20th and 21st centuries. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, September 16, from 6 to 9 p.m. Both the reception and Gallery admission are free and open to the public.ΜύΜύ
In particular, Gettinβ It Done will highlight pieces from the Samella Lewis Contemporary Art Collection at 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ, which focuses on works by women and artists of color. The collection, which honors the legacy of 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ Professor Emerita of Art History Samella Lewis, was created in 2007 by former Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Director of the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery Mary MacNaughton ’70, 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ alumna and artist Alison Saar ’78, and Professor Emerita Susan Rankaitis. Lewis, who died in May 2022, was an art historian, curator and celebrated visual artist. She was the first Black woman to earn a doctorate in fine art and art history at the Ohio State University and the first tenured Black professor at 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ.
βThrough her art, her teaching, her writing, and her advocacy, Dr. Lewis profoundly impacted not only 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ, but the entire fields of art and art history,β says Erin M. Curtis, Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Director of the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery. βThis exhibition not only celebrates her accomplishments, but explores the themes that animated her work, particularly the realities of Black life in the United States during the 20th century.β
In addition to pieces in the Samella Lewis Contemporary Art Collection, the exhibition will feature artworks loaned by the Talley Dunn Gallery of Dallas, the Matthew Brown Gallery of Los Angeles, and the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation in Portland, OR. Additional key lenders to the exhibition include LaToya M. Hobbs, Robert E. Holmes, Alitash Kebede, JoAnn and James Newton, and the estate of Samella and Paul Lewis.
βThe work in the exhibition expresses humanity and hope, while shedding light on the complexities of Black womenβs experiences,β says Curtis. βMentorship is a key theme in the exhibition: Elizabeth Catlett taught Samella Lewis at Dillard University, and Samella Lewis mentored Alison Saar at 51ΑΤΖζΘλΏΪ. Gettinβ It Done is imbued with Dr. Lewisβ creative force and singular vision.βΜύ