Silver Linings
The Spelman Art Collection at the Harn in Gainesville
By Dulce Roman, Chief Curator and Curator of Modern Art
When Spelman College, a historically black liberal arts college for women located in Atlanta, Georgia, announced the first-ever national tour of its art collection, the Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida was thrilled to have the opportunity to bring it to Gainesville from February 4 to July 6 this year. The Harn is one of five venues across the United States exhibiting “Silver Linings: Celebrating the Spelman Art Collection.” Through the 39 works featuring 28 artists, “Silver Linings” uplifts the legacy of artists of African descent spanning the 20th century through the contemporary moment. The Spelman College Museum of Fine Art was founded in 1996 with a mission to uplift art by and about women of the African diaspora, yet the college’s art collecting dates back to 1899. “Silver Linings” looks at the important role Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have had in collecting, exhibiting, and preserving art by artists of African descent. “Silver Linings” opened at Spelman College in 2022 following a two-year closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The title refers to the popular saying, “every cloud has a silver lining,” and points to hope or the possibility of finding something good even in daunting times such as the early years of the pandemic.
The exhibition includes a wide range of artistic styles, materials, and historical contexts. The paintings, drawings, sculptures, mixed-media collages, prints, and photographs are divided into five sections that focus on the Spiral Group, abstraction, early figuration, contemporary photography, and contemporary figuration.
