MS01.01.01 - Box 04 - Folder 02 - General Correspondence, 1987 September - December

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Violet, Black, Orange, Yellow on White and Red Mark Rothko Date: 1949 Style: Color Field Painting Genre: abstract

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10-21-87

Dear David,

Thank you for the catalogue "Comtemporary Visual Expressions". It was a pleasure to receive and read. you continue to break new ground and do consistently good things for the art world, especially Black Artists.

I am firmly settled back in Connecticut although a few consulting jobs bring me to Wash. at least twice a year. I am presently working on and researching "Conn. African-American Artists, Past & Present" (the title of the book if ever I finish) When I arrived back in Conn., several artists including Michael Borders asked me if I would organize them again as I had before moving to Wash. in 1976. I thought about it for a while but decided I could best serve them by publishing material on them and their work. Out of that decision grew this project. While researching early Black Conn. artists, I found out about C.E. Porter and this current exhibit. I bought the catalogue and was delighted to see that you had been a part of this project. I know how busy you are, but if you have any additional information on any Conn. Black artist of the past, please let me know. When I finish, I will of course share my findings with you. Please stay strong, Keep up the good work and say hello to Thelma for me. Best Regards, Barbara

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Mark Rothko (1903-1970) Violet, Black, Orange, Yellow on White and Red. 1949 Oil on canvas, 81 1/2 x 66 in. Solomon R. Guggen heim Museum, New York Gift, Elaine and Werner Dannheisser and The Dannheisser Foundation 7833 [Copyright] The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation

REPRODUCTA CO INC. COPYRIGHT C R MADE IN ITALY

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VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE 37232 TELEPHONE (615) 322-7311

Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences * School of Medicine * Direct phone 322-0999

October 23, 1987

David Driskell, Ph.D. [Redacted]

Dear David:

I enjoyed seeing you and was sorry that a prior commitment precluded my making the gala. I am writing to you about a little project that I have proved to president Henry Ponder. I just wanted you to know about it in case your opinion was aked regarding its value. What I have proposed is an exhibit of the gourds and vessels used in the everyday life of the people of Kenya. This would be a collection of some sixty objects which would also include some more personal things than utensils, such as a Masai wedding purse, snuff and tobacco pouches, perfume pouches, and sheaths for the arrows of the primitive tribesmen from around Lake Victoria.

There would be a poster-type exhibit with photographs of Kenyan culture and x-rays studies of some of the vessels that would problably have more eye appeal than science. I would like to do this as an exhibit with a poster exhibit and small, modest catalogue. I would assume the financial obligations of the exhibit and catalogue and would, obviously, supply the objects. At the end of the exhibition if this was successful we might consider sending it elsewhere, but finally I would like to donate it to Fisk University.

This all came about as a result of my work as consultant to the Smithsonian. I had the opportunity to go to Nairobi to study with the famous group at the museum there, but upon my arrival realized that no real preparation for x-ray studies had been made and that in the time period I had it would be impossible to do anything meaningful. I became interested in the gourds and vessels and was told by the people at the museum that no work had been done. Since part of my arrangement had been to visit the various zoological parks throughout all of Kenya, I had them make arrangements for me to visit also the primitive tribes in a reasonably unofficial capacity. Through a system of bartering, I was able to acquire all but a few of the pieces that I had on my "wish" list. I never did find a way to have anyone be interested in a witch doctor's gourd. It seems that these are just too rare, valuable and important to donate or contribute anywhere. Through a rather heroic effort and some extraordinary assistance I was able to get all of this back here and wrote a preliminary article in the Explorer's Journal. This was seen by the Smithsonian and they wanted to do a more extensive article but this would have involved an exhibit there and a great deal of my time. After about two years it became obvious that, while this was worthwhile, it was not practical. I them became interested in the possibility of doing this with a museum and found that the only museum in the U.S.A. that had done something similar was the Cleveland Museum of Art. They published a rather elaborate catalogue, and I suspect this was a resonably successful venture. That was when I became interested in the museum at Fisk and made the proposal to them.

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David Driskell, Ph.D. October 23, 1987

Page Two

I have included my proposed article to the Smithsonian, the publication in the Explorer's Journal, and a couple of illustrations for your edification. Maybe we can discuss this sometime when I am down in Washington.

Best personal regards. Yours sincerely, Everette James (signiture) A. Everette James, Jr., Sc.M., J.D., M.D. Professor and Chairman

AEJ/je

Enclosures

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