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TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THREE NOTABLE VISIONARIES IN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN ART COMMUNITY, WILLIS "BING" DAVIS, ARTHUR PRIMAS, AND EARLE WANZER, FOR ALL THEY DID TO INSPIRE THE 2016 MAJOR SPRING EXHIBITION, REMIX: THEMES AND VARIATIONS IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN ART, AT THE COLUMBIA MUSEUM OF ART.
Whereas, the Columbia Museum of Art's 2016 groundbreaking spring exhibition, REMIX: Themes and Variations in African-American Art, celebrates the extraordinary vibrancy of African-American art through showcasing forty of the country's most innovative and influential African-American artists, including nine artists with roots in South Carolina: Dr. Terry K. Hunter, Leo Twiggs, and Damond Howard of Orangeburg; Fahamu Pecou of Hartsville; Tarleton Blackwell of Manning; Colin Quashie of Charleston; William Henry Johnson of Florence; Michaela Pilar Brown of Columbia; and Willis "Bing" Davis of Greer; and
Whereas, REMIX presents the exhibition by means of a wide variety of artwork dating from the early twentieth century to the present. Each work highlights the practice among many African-American artists of refashioning themes, ideas, and objects from their own unique perspectives, a technique that brings a fresh context and inspired view to familiar subjects, stories, and styles of the past and invites discussion on relevant topics; and
Whereas, REMIX is the first exhibition in the U.S. to explore fully the theme in African-American art that expresses how art reflects the ability to renew itself by retelling and refashioning classic themes for new audiences and new times. The concept of REMIX evolved from the close relationships that Will South, chief curator at the Columbia Museum of Art, has with three notable visionaries in the African-American art community, Willis "Bing" Davis, Arthur Primas, and Earle Wanzer; and
Whereas, Willis "Bing" Davis is an artist and cultural leader who was born in Greer but grew up in Dayton, Ohio, where he lives today. Mr. Davis's distinctive artistic aesthetic looks to the distant past in combination with his experience of America over a stellar fifty-plus-year career spent guiding young people in empowering their feelings and voice through the arts. His career as an educator includes teaching twenty years at Central State University in Ohio. He has also served as an artist-in-residence at the University of Dayton. His art can be found in collections around the world; and
Whereas, a resident of Bedford, Texas, Arthur M. Primas is an astute, committed, and enthusiastic collector of African-American art, and he has played a pivotal role in promoting appreciation for African-American artists. This patron of the arts and cultural heritage has some of the world's most prominent African-American artists represented in his extensive collection, which includes paintings, drawings, prints, and sculpture dating from the early 1900s to 2008. He generously shares with art museums nationwide, including the Columbia Museum of Art; and
Whereas, Earle Wanzer, a resident of Greensboro, North Carolina, is a businessman, a passionate collector of African-American art, and a community leader who believes in the power of art as a vehicle for social change. He served as a past board president at the Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where his vision for enriching the visitor experience through the inclusion of African-American art was a major influence on the career of curator Will South, who brought that broadened sensibility to his curatorial position at the Columbia Museum of Art and to the organization of REMIX. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor three notable visionaries in the African-American art community, Willis "Bing" Davis, Arthur Primas, and Earle Wanzer, for all they did to inspire the 2016 major spring exhibition, Remix: Themes and Variations in African-American Art, at the Columbia Museum of Art.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Willis "Bing" Davis, Arthur Primas, Earle Wanzer, and the Columbia Museum of Art.
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