In an interview with Washington Post journalist Eleanor Munro, the artist reflects, “I’ve never bothered painting the ugly things in life. Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.Įarly paintings by Thomas were in the style of realism, although admittedly, Thomas wasn’t interested in reflecting the inhumanities of the world surrounding her through realistic art. Portrait of Alma Thomas © Michael Fischer, 1976. While Thomas’s abstractions may not be depictions of the civil rights movements, they do represent her response to the world around her as an African American woman during a turbulent time in our history. This time in history resonates with the recent protests in response to the tragic racialized deaths of African American men and women-and centuries of inequality for Americans of color. Further, the recent SpaceX/NASA crewed launch took place in the midst of the recent protests, reminiscent of the Apollo launches during the civil rights movement, a historical parallel explored by my colleague Margaret Weitekamp in a recent blog. Thomas’s art is now considered a tour de force in the Washington Color School movement of abstract painting.Īlma Thomas’s abstractions were made during the civil rights movement in the United States, with protests and riots in her city to end legalized racial discrimination. At 75 years old, she debuted her first exhibition at Howard University and six years later in 1972 was the first African American woman to receive a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. After spending most of her life as an art teacher at Shaw Junior High School in DC, Thomas began a late career as an abstract painter. Further, Thomas attended classes at various other schools, including almost a decade of painting classes at American University in DC. 1 Thomas attended Howard University in Washington, DC, becoming the first graduate of their art program and then continued her studies, earning a Master of Arts degree at the Teachers College at Columbia University in New York. In high school, Thomas discovered a passion for art and felt as if she was in heaven. Originally from Columbus, Georgia, Thomas moved with her family as a teenager to escape the racial oppression and violence of the South and to seek better education opportunities. Sketch for Blast Off, 1970, water color on paper, 12.25 x 10 inches
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