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Dark Roots
10am - 5pm
Dark Roots emphasized the historically significant roles played by two Atlanta based institutions in bringing some of America’s most gifted visual artists who are African American to the national forefront. The Atlanta University Annual Art Exhibition and Competition, known as the AU Annual and The Atlanta Life Insurance Company Annual African American Art Competition and Exhibition known as the Atlanta Life Annual, jointly form the basis of a rich visual arts tradition of local, regional and national importance. Each annual also contributed uniquely to the social, educational and cultural life of America by providing professional platforms for the viewing, discussion and broader appreciation of work.
Initiated in 1942 on the recommendation of artist and educator Hale Aspacio Woodruff (1900-1980) and with the enthusiastic support of Atlanta University President Dr. Rufus Clement, the AU Annual was the first institutionalized yearly presentation of nationally juried work by African American Artists in the United States. Continuing through 1970, the prestigious purchase prize component to the project contributed largely to Atlanta University (currently Clark Atlanta University) amassing one of the most impressive academically held collections of African American art in the country.
The Atlanta Life Annual, held between 1980 and 1992, reestablished a national forum for the presentation, purchase and promotion of artwork by African Americans. Established by President and Chief Executive Officer Jesse Hill, Jr. as a core component to the company’s seventy-fifth anniversary celebration, the event was modeled after the AU Annual, serving the additional purpose of being an exemplary corporate supporter of artistic expressions reflecting various aspects of African American cultural life.
Thank you to the lenders to this exhibition:
Atlanta Life Insurance Company
Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries
Paul R. Jones
Spelman Museum of Fine Art
-Amalia Amaki, Curator
View Catalogue/Database Exhibition Record