HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (March 1, 2021) – The whimsical sculptures of Hattie Marshall-Duncan, recipient of the prestigious 2019 Tennessee Governor’s Folklife Heritage Award, will be the highlight of a major Black History Month exhibition at the Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center (MACC) in Hendersonville, Tenn. The exhibit, titled A Journey of Inspiration, will run through March 21 and will feature more than 18 of Marshall-Duncan’s highly stylized masterworks.
“We are thrilled to be introducing our community to the sculptures of such an amazing folk artist as Hattie Marshall-Duncan,” says Cheryl Strichik, the MACC’s executive director and CEO. “Hattie’s fanciful sculptures depict her family and friends in ways that are evocative, amusing, and always respectful. She captures the essence of her subjects, revealing their souls.”
Raised in Jackson, Tennessee, Marshall-Duncan taught herself how to create her idiosyncratic sculptures. Using scrap wire, milk jugs, and plastic bottles as the base, she molds her own signature blend of paper-clay to create distinctive, visually arresting figures. Once shaped and dried, she completes them with paint and found objects, usually common kitchen items such as eggshells, coffee grounds (for hair), and plastic nets. The finished sculptures are all christened with the names of their subjects, like James (My Brother), Kathryn (My Sister), and Alma (My Cousin).
Hattie Marshall-Duncan’s sculptures have been exhibited in many important Tennessee galleries, including at the Customs House Museum in Clarksville, the West Tennessee Regional Arts Center in Humboldt, the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville, and the Latta in Selmer, Tennessee. In 2014, she exhibited in the Tennessee Arts Commission’s gallery in Nashville. The sculptures are on loan from the Tom and O.E. Stigall Ethnic Library and the West Tennessee Regional Art Center in Humboldt.
In addition to Marshall-Duncan’s sculptures, Journey of Inspiration will include paintings and other works by artists who are masters at depicting the African-American experience in the South. Helen LaFrance and Saul Haymond are both represented in the exhibition with paintings that capture of the simplicity and charm of the old family farm. Jimmy Lee Sudduth, the noted artist and blues musician from Fayette, Alabama, portrays a more humorous side of farm life – the cocky, strutting rooster. Tennessee artist Michael McBride contributes to the rural landscape with his sepia-toned rabbit. Purvis Young, the late-great Miami, Florida-based artist, provides the exhibition with contrast. His works, which are deeply rooted in the African-American experience, suggest the kind of primitivism one might associate with such modern masters as Picasso.
The fourth installment of the MACC’s “Home. Heart. Heritage.” Quilt Project is a tribute to African-Americans who made significant contributions to science and medicine. (Quilts in previous years celebrated notable African-American writers, poets, community leaders, among others.) These colorful and appealing community quilts are part of a 5-year creation project, which will be added to the MACC’s Permanent Memory Collection and used for future touring exhibitions.
Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center is conveniently located off Gallatin Pike just three miles east of Rivergate Mall. The place serves as a haven for the arts, hosting major art exhibitions throughout the year. It also offers classes and summer camps on art and film for children and adults. Monthaven Mansion is available to rent for weddings, receptions, showers, corporate team-building classes, and private parties. For more information, visit www.monthavenartsandculturalcenter.com or call (615) 822-0789.