The Magic 25: 1998, Jonathan Green Came to Oregon
Little did I know what lay ahead when I walked into the Gibbes Museum in Charleston, South Carolina, one winter day in 1996. We were there with our daughter, Christina, and her husband. She teaches middle school children near Augusta, Georgia and had recently taught a course on three contemporary southern Black artists, including Jonathan Green. A banner outside the museum announced the opening of an exhibit of Jonathan’s paintings.
As we entered the lobby our attention was immediately drawn to a large gallery on our right where brilliantly colored paintings depicting the lives of the Gullah people were displayed. About sixty students, ages eleven and twelve, were sitting on the floor in the middle of the room intently listening to Jonathan. We stood in the back of the room, listening to him and admiring the magnificent large paintings on the walls. After the children left we had a long conversation with Jonathan about his portrayal of the Gullah people. When I asked Jonathan if his paintings had been exhibited in the Northwest, he replied no, and added that he’d never been asked.
The Gullahs are descendants of slaves who were brought from Africa to the South in the 1700s. Early in their time here plantation owners found that the slaves were particularly adept in growing fine quality cotton and rice so they were sent to the fertile low country and islands to work. The climate was hot and humid with masses of mosquitoes carrying malaria, conditions most unbearable for the whites, but more tolerable for the slaves from similar areas in Africa. Therefore many of the land owners lived elsewhere and left the slaves in charge of growing the crops. Many owners rarely returned during the year. Therefore the Gullah people were able to retain much of their African culture until more recent times. Although Jonathan did not set out to portray the history of the Gullahs here, we do see that in his pictures.
I was deeply moved by Jonathan and by his paintings. As we walked down the steps of the museum that day I told the family that we had to bring Jonathan Green to Portland. I gave little further thought to that statement at the time, but during the course of several weeks and months after we came home, periodically the thought would cross my mind, “We have to bring Jonathan Green to Portland.” Finally I realized I had to respond. But How? Where would I begin? I have no background in art. I took only one art appreciation course in college. I had no friends who were professional artists to talk with about my idea. I had no contacts and no sources to suggest contacts. One thing I was sure about was that if we did bring Jonathan and his art to Portland there would be two requirements: the schools would be involved and the volunteers needed to help would represent various ethnic groups.
Then one day in a discussion group at Portland Center Stage, following a performance of “Up From the Mississippi Delta,” I heard a woman talk about the importance of the arts in school. Ah ha, maybe she might have ideas for me. She directed me to Darrel Milner, a member of the discussion panel and Director of the Department of Black Studies at Portland State University. When I met with him, he directed me to Sue Busby, Director at IFCC and Caroline Leonard, Director of Multicultural Education for the Portland School District. After talking with them I met with Charles Jordan, Director of Portland Parks and Recreation. All three were enthusiastic about my idea and we were off and running. Beginning with them and nearly all of the people I talked with subsequently I was given names of others to contact. It seemed the doors of opportunity were wide open.
Twenty-two school districts in the metropolitan area, three Educational Service Districts and two private schools were contacted. A group of nine educators developed a thirteen page teacher’s guide of “Discipline Based Art Education” and 500 copies were distributed to teachers who were interested in using them with their students and bringing the students to IFCC. Jonathan was very impressed with the guides and subsequently used them as he met with other people in schools across the country.
The exhibit opened February 9, 1998 and ran for seven weeks. During that time over 3,000 students attended the exhibit and it was estimated about 10,000 other visitors came, some brought by their children. Sixty people from three branches of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and four African-American women’s organizations participated as docents and served in other ways. Ron Crossier from the Portland Art Museum provided docent training for the volunteers. In addition, forty-one docents from the Art Museum served 600 hours giving tours to students and adults. Friendships grew among all of these people as they worked together. Staff members at IFCC put in countless hours. The newspapers provided excellent coverage of the exhibit and of IFCC.
Roberta Wong did a magnificent job utilizing the space of the IFCC galleries to display the paintings. Jonathan came to spend three days in Portland at the opening of the show. When he saw it, he told me that Roberta had done the best job he’d ever seen in displaying his work. We had a grand celebration for the opening. Several other programs related to the theme of the show were also scheduled during the course of the exhibit.
The results far exceeded my goals and expectations. Friendships grew among the volunteers who represented both ethnic groups. Many teachers and students were involved and sent us letters of appreciation. In one classroom of 3rd and 4th graders the students painted pictures inspired by Jonathan’s paintings. The students’ pictures were transferred onto cloth and their teacher learned to quilt in order to make a beautiful quilt that hung during the show in the IFCC entry. IFCC became better known in the metro area. And we all had a good time!
by Dorothy Martin
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