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CHRONICL
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THURSDAY, June 10, 2021
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C
Volume 47, Number 33
Delta Art Center’s new exhibit tells
stories of the Gullah culture
BY JUDIE HOLCOMB-PACK
THE CHRONICLE
Someone once said,
“A picture is worth a thou
sand words.” That could
well sum up the new ex
hibit at Delta Arts Cen
ter, “Culture Keeper: The
Gullah Art of Diane Brit
ton Dunham,” that opened
on June 3 and runs through
the summer. Each painting
depicts a moment hr time
and tells a visual story of a
culture that for generations
was cut off from mainland
South Carolina, allowing
the culture to maintain its
unique customs and dia
lect.
An artist talk with Di
ane Britton Dunham on
June 4, held both in person
at the gallery and virtually
via Zoom, brought to life
the stories behind each
piece of art. Her works ex
amine the common tradi
tions of African American
culture, especially those
of the South Carolina Low
Country and Sea Islands.
Internationally rec
ognized for her authentic
illustrations of the his
tory and traditions of Af
rican American Southern
culture, Diane Britton
Dunham’s art is visually
unique due to their vibrant
colors and her ability to
capture community life
in South Carolina’s Low
Country and Louisiana’s
bayous, thereby telling
stories through her art. A
self-taught artist, Dunham
has established herself as
not only an artist, but a his
torian, writer, and instruc ¬
Photo by Judie Holcomb-Pack
“Country Quilts” by Diane Britton Dunham.
tor. She currently serves as
vice chair of the Beaufort
Arts Council Board of
Directors, the chair of the
Gullah African Diaspora
Artists group, and serves
on the University of South
Carolina Art and Design
Advisory Board.
Dunham’s interest
in portraying the Gullah
and Low Country culture
stems from her parents; her
mother is Creole and her
father is from Charleston,
S.C. She writes: “From a
small child, my ancestral
history has held a fasci
nation for me, and each
day I find something new
and exciting to produce
through my art. It has been
a blessing to have had the
opportunity to share my
; vision with so many.”
Dunham was commis
sioned by the historic Penn
Center, the first Southern
school for freed slaves, to
bring the Sea Island culture
to life through her paint
ings. The islands were iso
lated from the mainland of
South Carolina and after
the Civil War, the isolation
increased, allowing the
unique culture to remain
undisturbed and available
only by boat. The bridge
connecting the islands to
the mainland wasn’t built
until the 1940s.
The Gullah culture is
well known for its sweet
grass baskets which are
identical to those made
in West Africa. The tal
ent to create these unique
baskets has been passed
down through the genera
tions and today are valued
as art rather than for their
utility. The baskets are so
carefully woven that water
cannot seep through their
weaving.
Dunham’s work fo
cuses on several important
aspects of the culture: their
religion, basket weaving,
food, music, agriculture,
fishing and shrimping,
and education, which can
be seen in her paintings.
“Praise House,” a small,
plain house of worship
common on Sea Islands,
illustrates where enslaved
people worshipped in
small gatherings, which
kept them safe from the
eyes of their oppressors.
“Songs in Zion” is a
beautiful representation of
the love of music and the
joy it brings to the Gullah
people. Many of her works
include quilts, such as
“Country Quilts.” Women
used swatches of beloved
family members’ clothing
that were sewn into quilts
to create a family story
quilt. Quilts were also an
important part of main
taining the Underground
Railroad and some of her
pieces illustrate quilts that
warn travelers to “zig and
zag” to confuse the op
pressors who were search
ing for them, or have a star
in the center that when
hung up, points in the saf
est direction to the Under
ground Railroad.
In her artist’s talk,
Dunham explained why
many of her pieces, do
not detail the faces of the
people. She said that if she
has captured the emotion
in the painting, this allows
the viewer to put their own
faces in the work, to in
terpret the story in a more
personal way.
If you look closely
enough, focus on the de
tails and allow the emotion
to touch you, each painting
on exhibit will truly tell
you a story. In this sense,
the old adage is true: a pic
ture is worth a thousand
words. Stop by Delta Arts
Center, 2611 New Walker
town Road, and let them
speak to you.
Delta Arts Center is
open Tuesdays and Fridays
from 2-5 p.m., Wednes
days and Thursdays from
3-6 p.m., and at other times
by appointment by calling
336-722-2625. For more
information, visit www.
deltaartscenter.org or fol
low them on Facebook.
A.H. Anderson High School Class of 1968 celebrates
53rd class reunion.
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
The history of the Big
4 is well known through
out Winston-Salem. The
Big 4 refers to the city’s
all-Black high schools
during segregation: Carv
er, Atkins, Anderson, and
Paisley. And last week
end the Class of 1968
from A.H. Anderson High
School came together to
celebrate their 53rd class
reunion.
While enjoying break-
fast last Saturday, June
5, classmates looked at
old yearbooks and talked
about the good times they
had when they were stu
dents. Laura Allen, who
organized the reunion,
said it was great to get all
the classmates together.
“We’re officially celebrat
ing 53 years and it feels
good to see you all. All I
can say is, God has been
good and he deserves all
the praise,” Allen said.
After serving the
community as Columbia
Heights for many years,
the local board of educa
tion changed the name of
the school to Anderson
www.wschronicle.com 1
7)
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Photo by Tevin Stinson
Last weekend the Anderson High School Class of 1968 celebrated their 53rd class
reunion.
High School in 1962, after
the late Albert H. Ander
son, who worked at Co
lumbia Heights for many
years. The school thrived,
producing hundreds of
graduates, until the early
1970s when Winston-
Salem/Forsyth County
Schools (WS/FCS) inte
grated. In the early 1980s,
Winston-Salem State Uni
versity (WSSU) bought
the old building and now
the university uses the
building for classroom
space and a conference
center.
Mary Howard, who is
also a member of the Class
of 1968 and an award-win
ning writer, said Anderson
High School helped shape
her to become the person
she is today. She said al
though the school no lon
ger exists and some people
left before they received
their diplomas, everyone
who walked through the
halls will always be an
Anderson Bulldog.
“No matter where you
went or graduated from,
once a Bulldog, always a
Bulldog,” Howard said.