We Speak: Black Artists in Philadelphia, 1920s-1970s

who are poor by western standards, however, are

retire and create my art full time. She told me that

wealthy in a spirit embraced by a strong sense

she expressed her heart’s desire to retire from her

of community. The woman in the middle of the

successful teaching career to be with her family. Her

drawing is holding an egg, which symbolizes

husband’s response was, “Everything will work out.”

strength and continuity. On my recent travels to

My heart told me to retire early at the age of 55. I

Ethiopia, I felt this same strong sense of belonging

took Reba’s advice and everything is just fine!

and community. There are plenty of economic challenges existing in Ethiopia. When I expressed to my driver that I wanted to live in solitude in the hills of Southern Africa. His reply was: “Oh no, the

But the art scene today is strange, especially when it comes to ethnicity. When you’re known to be African American, people seem to want

people would be at your door everyday to assist you. No one is allowed to live in isolation. There is no privacy.” I found his remarks heart warming. The dollar had a different value during my early travels in Africa, so I could buy a lot. I’d see something while traveling or studying, and my imagination would run away with me. I’d improvise and offer my own interpretations of the art, but I’d also incorporate some of its images into my work so people could make their own comparisons and gain a perspective on cultural influences. GOLD: Your work seems to share some affinities

with that of Reba Dickerson-Hill. Did you know her personally? JOHNSON-ALLEN: I am so happy that you

mentioned Reba Dickerson-Hill. She was such a great inspiration to me. Because she was also an educator, she was able to give me strategies for finding the strength and willpower to develop my art while working as a teacher full time. She advised me to do as much as I could, artfully: “While teaching math and science, do it artfully. While washing the dishes and diapers, do it artfully.” She was very friendly and was always willing to help and encourage young artists before the term “mentoring” became popular. She also advised me that my heart would tell me when it was time to

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WOODMERE ART MUSEUM

Untitled (Three Women), 1960, by Reba Dickerson-Hill (Courtesy of the Hill Family)

Together, 1976, by Martina Johnson-Allen (Courtesy of the artist) WE SPEAK: Black Artists in Philadelphia, 1920s–1970s

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We Speak: Black Artists in Philadelphia, 1920s-1970s

Published on Jan 19, 2016

Woodmere Art Museum

We Speak: Black Artists in Philadelphia, 1920s-1970s, features over 70 paintings, photographs, sculptures, and prints produced by black artists living and working in Philadelphia during the roughly 50 year period. The exhibition focuses on a range of this city’s organizations and institutions and considers the degree to which they offered black artists a platform from which to launch their careers and have a voice. The curatorial framework is anchored between two significant historical events. In 1925 Philadelphian Alain Locke’s published “The Legacy of the Ancestral Arts,” an important moment in the New Negro Arts Movement that issued a call to black American artists to find inspiration in their African heritage. The exhibition concludes in the 1970s with the nation’s bicentennial year, when American ideals of liberty and equality were being reconsidered in a contemporary context.