Life of sculptor will
be depicted at SECCA
BY COURTNEY GA1LLARD
THE CHRONICLE
Frank Woods always thought
the life of Edmonia Lewis, the
first professional American sculp
tor of African descent, should be
told. It's a story of a woman of
mixed heritage who overcame
barriers of racism and sexism, in
the name of her talent and for the
sake of her art form.
At last, her story will be told
in the form of a play titled "Wild
fire: Black Hands, White Mar
ble."
Written by Linda Brown,
retired professor from Bennett
College, the play will chronicle
the life and career of Lewis,
daughter to a Native-American
mother and African-American
father, and the unbelievable obsta
cles she surpassed that subse
quently paved the way for so
many black artists to follow.
Born in New York, Lewis
spent much of her younger years
with her mother, who was a part
of the Ojibwa nation. Her educa
tion and art training took her from
Oberlin College to Rome, where
she journeyed to learn and com
pete with some of the best neo
classical sculptors at the time.
Once Lewis met and befriend
ed a group Of American female
artists, she quickly joined in their
struggle to gain recognition and
credibility, both of which she
received as she went on to
become a world renowned sculp
tor. Lewis' claim to fame occurred
when her sculpture "The Death of
Cleopatra" was exhibited at the
Philadelphia Centennial Exposi
tion in 1876.
Woods, director of the
African-American studies pro
gram at the University of North
Carolina at Greensboro, explained
that the play grew out of his doc
toral dis
sertation
on Lewis
and other
pioneer
African
American
artists in
the art
world dur
ing the
19th cen
tury. The
piuy i>
being produced thanks to a grant
awarded by the N.C. Humanities
Council.
Brown sat on the committee
that reviewed Woods' dissertation
and was always encouraged by
him to turn Lewis' life into some
thing more than a history lesson.
"1 had. in the back of my
mind, these stories as stories that
need to be told and celebrated and
certainly not forgotten." said
Woods about Lewis' road to fame.
"Thai's my purpose in life now ?
to have experiences brought back
to life."
Both Woods and Lewis are
hoping that the play will provide
audiences with a window into this
woman's real-life struggle and the (
lessons learned and created by her
experience. With racism and sex
ism both issues alive and preva
lent today. Woods feels Lewis' life
is proof positive that societal con
flicts with race and gender cannot
cease the drive and spirit of any
one determined to reach a goal.
Woods hopes those who watch
the play will witness that solid
determination in the portrayal of
Edmonia Lewis.
"We're talking about very
specific people (like Lewis and
other black artists) who have the
talent to compete with white con
temporary artists, but have the
resolve that nothing is going to
stop them." Woods said.
Brown says she is amazed by
both the talent and artistic strides
in which Lewis made a "very pro
hibitive" art form, where tools and
supplies like marble were very
costly. Nonetheless. Brown says
that Lewis' career speaks moun
tains of her courage and spirit.
"It's phenomenal. (Lewis)
said. 'Yes I can' in 1865, and it is
evidence of so much persever
ance. It's hard to imagine but
worth knowing about for every
body. She lived and did every
thing she said she was going to
do."
Much of Lewis' story will
focus on the racism and sexism
she encountered - walls she ran
into time and again - because
Brown says those subjects are
critical to include to accurately
capture the essence of Lewis'
achievements.
The play is free and open to
the public, with performance
times at 8 p.m. June 7-8 and 2
p.m. June 9 at the Southeastern
Center for Contemporary Art
(SECCA).
Woods
Photo b> Outlnev Ciaillard
Elizabeth Mitchell, co
chair of the 2-1-1 com
mittee, speaks at last
week's news confer
ence as Congressman
Richard Burr looks on.
211
from page A /
questions or concerns as so
many did during the previous
anthrax outbreaks when 9-1-1
tirrncc Ampririi wa< immtlntetl
with callers who simply had
questions.
Drago expressed his delight
at the chance for the region to
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local level ahead of the rest of
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United Way of North Carolina
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Triad."
Dialing 2-1-1 will connect
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versity Baptist Medical Center
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United Way of North Car
olina began mulling over the
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I system to the state three years
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ties Commission and after
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na as "holder" of the number in
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angle.
"North Carolinians can
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ciate Congressman Burr's sup
port in helping us to be that
leadership in our community."
Mitchell said.
United Way of North Car
olina plans to work on making
c-2-l-l accessible to residents
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boring cities and slates across
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For more information, visit
ww w. Call Un i ted Way 2 ll.com.
Visit us on-line at
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