Research Catalog

Elijah Pierce's America

Title
Elijah Pierce's America / edited by Nancy Ireson and Zoé Whitley ; with contributions by Sampada Aranke, Theaster Gates, Michael D. Hall.
Author
Pierce, Elijah
Publication
  • Philadelphia : The Barnes Foundation ; London : Paul Holberton Publishing, [2020]
  • ©2020

Items in the Library & Off-site

Filter by

1 Item

StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
Request for On-site UseRequest Scan

Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schomburg Center to submit a request in person.

TextUse in library Sc+ F 21-330Schomburg Center - Research & Reference

Details

Additional Authors
  • Ireson, Nancy
  • Whitely, Zoe
  • Aranke, Sampada
  • Gates, Theaster, 1973-
  • Hall, Michael D., 1941-
  • Barnes Foundation, host institution, issuing body.
Description
206 pages : color illustrations; 29 cm
Summary
Elijah Pierce (1892-1984) was born the youngest son of a former slave on a Mississippi farm. He began carving at an early age when his father gave him his first pocketknife. Pierce became known for his wood carvings nationally and then internationally for the first time in the 1970s. Accompanying a major exhibition at the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, this publication seeks to revisit the art of Elijah Pierce and see it in its own right, not simply as 'naive'. Elijah Pierce made his living as a barber; he was also a qualified preacher. Just as his barber shop was a place for gossip and meeting, so his art reflects his own and his community's concerns, but also universal themes. Through his carvings Pierce told his own life story and chronicled the African-American experience. His subjects ranged from politics to religious stories but he seldom distinguished the race of his figures - he thought of them as everyman. His secular carvings show his love of baseball, boxing, comics and the movies, and also reflect his appreciation for American heroes who fought for justice and liberty. In 1932, Pierce completed 'the Book of Wood', which he considered his best work. Originally carved as individual scenes, the completed 'Book' tells the story of Jesus carved in bas-relief. He and his wife Cornelia held "sacred art demonstrations" to explain the meaning of the Book of Wood. Exhibition: Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, USA (14.06.-07.09.2020).
Subject
  • Pierce, Elijah > Exhibitions
  • Pierce, Elijah
  • African American wood-carving > Exhibitions
  • Folk art > United States > Exhibitions
  • Folk art
  • African American wood-carving
  • United States
Genre/Form
  • Illustrated works.
  • Exhibition catalogs.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 194-202) and indexes.
Exhibitions (note)
  • Published in conjunction with an exhibition held at the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia from September 27, 2020 - January 10, 2021.
Contents
Elijah Pierce's America / Zoé Whitley and Nancy Ireson -- The Pierce effect: one artist's impact on museum practice in Columbus, Ohio / Michael D. Hall -- One nation under a groove: the USA in Elijah Pierce's hands / Zoé Whitley -- "Your life is a book, and every day is a page": Elijah Pierce's storytelling / Nancy Ireson -- Written in the wood: black life made visible / Sampada Aranke -- Preacher-barber-carver: the spiritual ecology of Elijah Pierce / Theaster Gates -- Catalogue -- Foundations -- Faith & doubt -- Reckoning & retribution -- Striving & surviving -- Sin & salvation -- Joy -- Death: a new beginning.
Call Number
Sc+ F 21-330
ISBN
  • 9781911300878
  • 1911300873
LCCN
2020418285
OCLC
1139138639
Author
Pierce, Elijah, artist.
Title
Elijah Pierce's America / edited by Nancy Ireson and Zoé Whitley ; with contributions by Sampada Aranke, Theaster Gates, Michael D. Hall.
Publisher
Philadelphia : The Barnes Foundation ; London : Paul Holberton Publishing, [2020]
Copyright Date
©2020
Type of Content
text
still image
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 194-202) and indexes.
Exhibitions
Published in conjunction with an exhibition held at the Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia from September 27, 2020 - January 10, 2021.
Local Subject
Black author.
Added Author
Ireson, Nancy, editor.
Whitely, Zoe, editor.
Aranke, Sampada, contributor.
Gates, Theaster, 1973- contributor.
Hall, Michael D., 1941- contributor.
Barnes Foundation, host institution, issuing body.
Research Call Number
Sc+ F 21-330
View in Legacy Catalog