“Silver Linings” Raises Visibility of the Work of 28 Black Artists.
The Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida will display art from Spelman College—a historically black liberal arts college for women located in Atlanta, Georgia. The Harn is one of five venues across the United States exhibiting Silver Linings: Celebrating the Spelman Art Collection. Through 39 works by nearly 30 artists, Silver Linings uplifts the legacy of artists of African descent spanning the 20th century through the contemporary moment, many of whom have been overlooked by mainstream art museums. The exhibition will be on view from Feb. 4 to July 6, 2025.
“Thanks to generous support provided by Art Bridges, the Harn is pleased to kick off its 35th Anniversary Year with Silver Linings,” said Dr. Lee Anne Chesterfield, Harn Museum of Art Director. “The support of this exhibition provided by Art Bridges, in addition to generous support from local sponsors, will further the Harn’s goal of deepening our connection with our community.”
Silver Linings: Celebrating the Spelman Art Collection includes a variety of mediums and techniques such as painting, drawing, sculpture, mixed-media collage, prints, and photographs divided into five sections that focus on the Spiral Group, abstraction, early figuration, contemporary photography, and contemporary figuration. The 28 artists represented in the exhibition include Amalia Amaki, Emma Amos, Benny Andrews, Firelei Báez, Herman “Kofi” Bailey, Romare Bearden, Betty Blayton, Beverly Buchanan, Selma Burke, Elizabeth Catlett, Floyd Coleman, Renee Cox, Myra Greene, Sam Gilliam, Samella Lewis, Glenn Ligon, Edna Manley, Howardena Pindell, Lucille Malkia Roberts, Deborah Roberts, Faith Ringgold, Nellie Mae Rowe, Lorna Simpson, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Lina Iris Viktor, Carrie Mae Weems, Charles White, and Hale Woodruff.
“We are honored to bring attention to Spelman College Museum of Fine Art’s Collection and be one of only two venues in the southeast,” said Dulce Román, Chief Curator and Curator of Modern Art at the Harn Museum of Art. “Silver Linings celebrates the collection while highlighting the significance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in supporting and promoting Black artists. We look forward to enhancing the artists’ visibility by collaborating with local organizations, developing exciting programing and outreach, and welcoming new audiences.”
An Artist-in-Residence program and special Community Day are among the programs providing opportunities for the community to engage with the exhibition in multiple ways. Onsite Artist-in-Residence Jessica Clermont will create works of art inspired by the exhibition, Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 5 pm between March 6 and June 26. Visitors can engage in discussion as the artist works, discuss the influence of the exhibition and create their own work of art. A Community Day at the Harn, held Saturday, May 31 from noon to 4 pm, will celebrate the exhibition with tours, a silkscreen art activity, art creation by Artist-in-Residence Jessica Clermont, entertainment, partner information tables and refreshments. Generous support for these projects is provided by Art Bridges. A complete list of programs offered in conjunction with the exhibition follows at the end of this release.
Silver Linings: Celebrating the Spelman Art Collection is organized by Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, Atlanta, Georgia and curated by Liz Andrews and Karen Comer Lowe with initial contributions from Anne Collins Smith.
Generous support provided by Art Bridges.
The local presenting sponsors for this exhibition are James and Sara Toussaint with additional support provided by Marcia Isaacson; Visit Gainesville, Alachua County; Laura L. Berns; David Etherington and Jeffery Dunn; and other generous donors.
For more information visit www.harn.ufl.edu/silverlinings. Admission is free.
Programs
All free and open to the public, include:
Artist-in-Residence: Jessica Clermont
March 6 – June 26, Tuesday through Thursday, noon – 5 pm
Artist Jessica Clermont will create digital media, paintings, ceramics and fiber arts inspired by works of art in the exhibition. Visitors can engage in discussion as the artist works and create their own work of art to take home. Clermont is a University of Florida School of Art and Art History (SA+AH) graduate and a dynamic artist well-recognized in the Gainesville community with solo shows at the Gainesville Fine Arts Association Gallery, The Gallery at the Reitz Union and The SL8 Gallery. Generous support for this project provided by Art Bridges.
HESCAH (The Harn Eminent Scholar Chair in Art History) Talk
Thursday, February 6, 6 pm
“The Places You Find Love”
Speaker: Darby English, Carl Darling Buck Professor, Department of Art History, University of Chicago
Professor Darby English, University of Chicago, will walk the audience through a close visual consideration of art on view in the exhibition. The talk approaches elements within the works where you can see art benefiting the creators—and possibly observers—in a way that nothing else in the racialized world can do.
University of Florida Student Workshop
Saturday, March 29, noon – 4 pm
UF students will have the opportunity to attend an engaging half-day workshop with Artist-in-Residence, Jessica Clermont, where they will collaborate and learn directly from Clermont’s art-making practice. This interactive hands-on session will explore creative techniques, personal artistic expressions, and the enduring legacies of the African American artists continuing to present day. Registration is required with information provided on the event webpage at www.harn.ufl.edu/event/uf-student-workshop/.
Art After Dark
Art After Dark provides extended hours until 9 pm for visitors to explore the exhibition. Generous support is provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program, and a private grant. In addition to extended hours, the Harn offers activities, entertainment and refreshments on select evenings which include the following:
Wine Down
February 27, March 27, April 24, May 29, June 26; 6 – 9 pm (last Thursday of each month)
Museum goers can mingle in the exhibition while enjoying musical entertainment, lite bites, wine and beer on the last Thursday of each month during the exhibition.
Museum Nights
Thursday, April 10, 6 – 9 pm
Silver Linings will be celebrated on this evening with art activities, UF campus and Gainesville community booths, performances, Art Blast Tours, refreshments and more. Museum Nights are also sponsored by UF Student Government and the Office of the Provost.
K-12 Art Educator Workshop
Wednesday, March 26, 2:30 – 4:30 pm
A free workshop will take place with invitations extended to K-12 art educators in Alachua County to engage with the exhibition and participate in a hands-on artmaking experience with Jessica Clermont, Silver Linings Artist-in-Residence.
5th Ave Arts Festival Outreach
Saturday, May 17 – Sunday, May 18
The Harn will have a booth featuring the exhibition with related art activities for all ages at the 45th Annual 5th Ave Arts Festival held in the historic 5th Avenue neighborhood of Gainesville. The festival includes art exhibits, music, storytelling, demonstrations and food showcasing the rich cultural heritage of this historic African American community.
Community Day
Saturday, May 31, noon – 4 pm
All ages are invited to join the Harn for a museum-wide celebration of Silver Linings. Visitors can explore the exhibition through docent-led tours, participate in a silk screen activity, talk with Artist-in-Residence Jessica Clermont as she creates new work, dance to the tunes of a local DJ, enjoy free refreshments and receive a free art kit to continue creating at home. Generous support for this project provided by Art Bridges.
About the Harn Museum of Art
Founded in 1990, the Harn Museum of Art is an integral part of the University of Florida. The Harn contributes to an interconnected, international community by integrating the arts and culture into curricula throughout the university’s system of colleges and centers. Its holdings include more than 13,450 works in five main collecting areas: Asian art, African art, photography, modern art of the Americas and Europe, and international contemporary art. The museum also has noteworthy collections of Oceanic, Ancient American Art and works on paper. In addition to rotating installations drawn from its permanent collection, the Harn organizes traveling exhibitions and virtual educational programs for adults, students and children.
The Harn Museum of Art, at 3259 Hull Road in Gainesville, Florida, is part of the University of Florida’s Cultural Plaza, which is also home to the Florida Museum of Natural History and the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Admission is free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am – 9 pm Thursday, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information visit harn.ufl.edu.
About Art Bridges
Art Bridges Foundation is the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton. Since 2017, Art Bridges has created and supported projects that bring outstanding works of American art out of storage and into communities across the United States and its territories. Art Bridges partners with a growing network of more than 240 museums of all sizes on nearly 900 projects—impacting 5.3 million people nationwide—to provide financial and strategic support for exhibitions, collection loans, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local communities. The Art Bridges Collection represents an expanding vision of American art from the 19th century to present day and encompasses multiple media and voices. For more information, visit artbridgesfoundation.org.
Media Contact:
Tami Wroath
Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Harn Museum of Art
352.294.7067
twroath@harn.ufl.edu