Angels in the Clouds: The Art of William Edmondson
This blog originally published on wordpress 2-18-2025 https://katieturnerartblog.wordpress.com/2025/02/18/angels-in-the-clouds-the-art-of-william-edmondson/#mce_temp_url#
William Edmondson was the first African American to receive a solo exhibition at MoMA (1937). He was self-taught and some consider his work to be primitive.
It’s amazing to think of how he developed his artistic abilities despite the restrictions placed upon him.
Edmondson was born in 1874 on the Compton Plantation in Davidson County, Tennessee to parents, Orange and Jane Edmondson who had previously been enslaved before they worked as sharecroppers. His family worked in the corn fields where he described seeing “angels in the clouds” and believed it was God talking to him. He had little or no formal education.
At 16 he moved to Nashville for work. He worked many different jobs over his lifetime and began carving stone around 1932. “Jesus has planted the seed of carving in me.” Edmondson described being inspired by a vision. He discovered his talent for stone carving while working for a stonemason. He built his own carving tools using railroad spikes, working from chunks of discarded limestone that wrecking companies would deliver to him. He carved lawn ornaments, birdbaths, decorative sculptures and tombstones, placing them for sale, along with garden vegetables in his yard.
Edmondson said he was not concerned about sales because he was doing the carvings for God.
If you’d like to read more about this artist, check out the links below.
https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/edmondson-william-c-1870-1951/
https://www.outsiderartnow.com/william-edmondson/
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/222298?artist_id=17500&page=1&sov_referrer=artist
https://www.barnesfoundation.org/whats-on/exhibitions/william-edmondson
https://americanart.si.edu/artist/william-edmondson-1408
short video clip of show: https://youtu.be/GENp8TG4NG4?si=CMQyFq1fsW8EgLiH
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