When David Woods volunteered on the north-end library in Halifax within the Eighties, one of many ladies he bumped into frequently there used to inform him about how her mom used to color.
And though she used to deliver this up regularly, she did not present loads of particulars.
When Woods was placing collectively an exhibition of Black Nova Scotian artwork within the late Nineteen Nineties, he thought again to these conversations with Ruth Johnson. He then went over to her home to see a few of the work her mom, Edith MacDonald-Brown, had accomplished.
Woods used a few of the work within the exhibition and struck by the standard of the work, Woods promised to in the future put collectively a solo exhibition of MacDonald-Brown’s work.
Whereas Johnson died in 2003, his promise to her has lastly been fulfilled.
From Africville: The Work of Edith MacDonald-Brown opens Saturday at Mount Saint Vincent College’s artwork gallery.
“What amazes me is that she did a few of these works when she was, like 13, 14, 15 years previous and a part of [her] coaching was replicating works of masters, you understand, established work, however for those who have a look at the originals and also you have a look at her work, it will be exhausting so that you can distinguish who was the grasp,” stated Woods.
MacDonald-Brown was born in Africville, N.S., in 1886, and grew up within the north-end Halifax neighborhood, in addition to Montreal.
Her earliest recognized portray was accomplished in 1898, whereas her final recognized work was in 1913. Her work cowl nature and rural life.
MacDonald-Brown returned to Africville round 1914 to marry a person, which corresponds with when her paintings ceased. She died in 1954.
Melanie Colosimo, director of the Mount’s artwork gallery, stated MacDonald-Brown’s work matches in properly with the gallery’s mandate of specializing in ladies as artists, but in addition due to the college’s proximity to Africville.
Africville residents have been displaced and their properties demolished by the Metropolis of Halifax in the Nineteen Sixties. By early 1970, the final resident left the neighborhood and roughly 400 folks from 80 households had been relocated.
Colosimo wonders what MacDonald-Brown’s work would have seemed like if she continued making artwork.
“What would her topics have been, being a resident in Africville and the tales that she had and her household had and watching her youngsters develop up?” stated Colosimo. “That’s what is, I believe, some of the attention-grabbing features of this present is there was a lot expertise and we did not get to see that but.”
The exhibit options 9 of MacDonald-Brown’s 13 recognized works, that are on mortgage from members of the family, together with great-granddaughter Colleen Howe-Boone. Howe-Boone is on the town for Saturday’s opening, having travelled from Virginia Seashore, Va., for the occasion.
“It is religious for me to see her [artwork], recognizing that is my great-grandmother,” stated Howe-Boone.
She stated inside her household, there are numerous people who find themselves artistically inclined, which she credit MacDonald-Brown as being liable for.
Howe-Boone thinks MacDonald-Brown’s story tells one other facet of Africville’s historical past.
“Lots of the tales that individuals would hear popping out of Africville, ‘They have been destitute they usually have been poor they usually did not have something,'” stated Howe-Boone.
“Nicely, they have been a proud folks they usually had properties they usually gardened they usually saved their property up and it was taken from them and stripped from them. And so after I have a look at the land in Africville, that is the land of Edith Brown.”
Colosimo hopes that by drawing consideration to MacDonald-Brown’s work, folks will proceed researching her life, and maybe some unknown artworks of hers will floor.
Woods hopes the exhibit brings long-overdue recognition.
“Now we have these items and we are able to solely be grateful that we nonetheless have them, you understand, 100 years later to have fun and to maybe deliver some honour to her for her artwork that she didn’t obtain through the time that she was creating the works,” he stated.
The exhibit runs till April 26.
For extra tales concerning the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success tales inside the Black neighborhood — take a look at Being Black in Canada, a CBC mission Black Canadians might be pleased with. You can read more stories here.
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