Art that Inspires: The Johnson Collection at SAM
Sharing—at home and abroad—the art it stewards is foundational to The Johnson Collection’s mission. TJC’s art connected to the American South has traveled across the globe to broaden the appreciation and understanding of our region’s pictoral history. Just as crucial to this mission is sharing TJC’s artworks with our Spartanburg community. The Johnson family is commited to partnerships that provide publically accessible art venues for our audiences to view art of the American South. Whether on a college campus or a corporate office, these placements provide an artistic and educational environment that can engage and inspire an appreciation for art at any age.
Spartanburg Academic Movement’s offices at 101 North Pine Street features ten newly installed paintings from The Johnson Collection’s holdings. It was only fitting that the artwork selected reflect SAM’s commitment to the success—academically, professionally, and personally—for our county’s children and youth. A viewr will encounter art educators like Corrie McCallum (1914 – 2009) whose long career included teaching at the Telfair Academy, Gibbes Art Gallery, and the College of Charleston, as well as Sigmund Abeles (born 1934) who was a student and later an instructor at the Art Students League in New York City.
A strikingly poingant painting on display is Winfred Rembert’s (1945 – 2021) autobiographical tooled-leather piece, Schoolhouse (The Wood Boy). Having learned to carve and dye leather during a harrowing incarceration for demonstrations in the Civil Rights Movement, Rembert began exploring his childhood and lived experiences through creative endevors. Schoolhouse places the artist himself at the top of the painting delivering wood to his schoolmates.
Some artworks reflect the diversity of our region’s landscapes and creative personalities. A. E. Backus (1906 – 1990), an artist who sold paintings on highway roadsides, captures a sunny Florida scene with swaying palms and post-storm clouds. And Charles Alston’s (1907 – 1977) Untitled (Cityscape at Night) uses expressive brushwork and bold colors to depict an energized, urban snapshot.
The Johnson Collection encourges visitors to not only engage with the works of art at Spartanburg Academic Movement, but also join us at TJC Gallery in downtown Spartanburg. Your invited to learn more about the Collection and its works of art at thejohnsoncollection.org.