Brothers on a Journey: Paintings by Eldridge Bagley and William Clarke
August 15, 2004 - January 8, 2005

Eldridge Bagley and William Clarke grew up in neighboring rural counties in south-central Virginia.  In middle age they discovered each other and their shared membership in an artistic brotherhood that exists beyond race, blood kinship, and time.  They have journeyed beyond youth and through much of midlife on a common creative venture. Deeply rooted to the land and the communities of their parents and grandparents, Bagley and Clarke continue to live in the places where they were born.  

Only in the 1990s did their parallel paths cross, when they encountered each other’s art through a shared friendship with collector Julia J. Norrell.  Brothers on a Journey includes ten of twelve Bagley paintings and one Clarke donated to McKissick Museum by Ms. Norrell, and thirteen Bagleys donated by Mr. Ralph E. Martin. The Museum is deeply indebted to these wonderful patrons and friends.

William Clarke, Baseball Game ,
collection of Julia J. Norrel

Eldridge Bagley, Revival,  collection of        
McKissick Museum, gift of Ralph Martin.

Off the Stage & Onto the Wall: The Evolution of a Ballet
January 29, 2005 - March 19, 2005

A play on the title of the ballet Off the Wall & Onto the Stage , this exhibition explores the unique merger of traditional visual arts with dance and music by tracing the evolution of the ballet, created by William Starrett of the Columbia City Ballet. The ballet is centered around twenty-two works of art by Jonathan Green, the celebrated Gullah artist from Beaufort, South Carolina. 

The exhibition highlights the unique printmaking collaboration between Green and the Department of Art at the University of South Carolina. Green worked with the printmaking students and faculty of the Studio Arts division of the Department of Art to create a series of limited edition serigraphs (silkscreens) based on the four original paintings produced by Green in 2004.

Educational hands-on opportunities to learn about serigraphy and other forms of printmaking will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. during the month of February and through March 19, 2005. These activities will be held in the gallery, and are free to all age groups.

Courage:  The Carolina Story that Changed America
September 4, 2004 - February 26, 2005

Few Americans know that the landmark case Brown v. Board  of Education has its roots in rural Clarendon County, South Carolina. This exhibition, organized by the Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte, NC, explores the origins of the historic case, and sheds light on South Carolina's connection with the notion of equal education in classrooms throughout America.  It will tell the story of Reverend Joseph A. De Laine, who led the fight against segregated schools in Clarendon County. His efforts in the 1950s spearheaded the first legal case to be filed, Briggs v. Elliot . 

The Institute for Southern Studies and the African American Studies Program here at USC will be presenting a series of programs in conjunction with the exhibition as part of a year-long commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Brown v. the Board of Education on the USC campus.  McKissick Museum will be the only venue in South Carolina to host this exhibition, made possible through funding from the Humanities Council of SC.

Summerton graded school (white elementary school)
Summerton, SC Photograph, 1940s
Courtesy of South Carolina State Archives

Ophelia, Lauren Gregory, color lithograph