May 2009

EXHIBITIONS

THELMA JOHNSON STREAT

April 29th thru May 17th, 2009

Opening Reception on April 30th, 6-10 PM

In May we’re collaborating with Art on Alberta in showcasing work by Thelma Johnson Streat (1911-1959). Streat was a painter, dancer, designer & educator internationally known in the mid-twentieth century for her visual & performance art. She also pioneered work to promote intercultural understanding with a focus towards youth. She was fascinated with the power of indigenous cultures to teach understanding, tolerance & appreciation of diversity.

With humble beginnings in Yakima, WA & Pendleton, OR, she moved to Portland & studied art from 1934-35 at the Museum Art School (now known as the Pacific Northwest College of Art). She took classes at the University of Oregon, & went on to travel to San Francisco, Mexico, Paris, New York & Hawaii. As she traveled around the world, her work rose to international success. Her realist paintings also evolved into more abstract pieces as she widely embraced the music, dance & symbols of the cultures she lived in & studied.

Thelma Johnson Streat was the first African American woman to have her work collected by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Her artwork was also exhibited & collected by several well-known institutions & celebrities, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Frank Lloyd Wright, Vincent Price & Roland Hayes. Starting her professional career as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) artist at San Francisco’s Pickle Factory, she worked with muralist Diego Rivera who became one of her most ardent supporters. In his words, “The work of Thelma Johnson Streat is in my opinion one of the most interesting manifestations in this country at the present. It is extremely evolved and sophisticated enough to re-conquer the grace and purity of African & American art.”

Black Kings

Red Dots, Black Angel

the johnson collection

ampersand vintage