Post and Courier article

Provocative Charleston artist unveils UNC mural that features state's black figures

by Adam Parker
The Post and Courier
Sunday - August 15, 2010

Local artist Colin Quashie embraced the opportunity to set the record straight. A self-proclaimed provocateur and social critic, he is the painter the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's School of Government turned to when it needed to solve a festering problem. The school claimed to represent all the citizens of the state, but its series of historical murals commissioned in 1954 became noteworthy for what it was missing: black people.

Charleston painter Colin Quashie, who specializes in provocative conceptual art that challenges social conventions and stereotypes, has created a mural for the School of Government at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The commission was meant to correct historical omissions at the school. Quashie's 50-foot-long mural features the Greensboro Four in the inside of the counter, dressing them in chef's clothing to convey the idea that they are serving history to the viewer. On the other side of the counter is an array of noted African-Americans who contributed in various ways to North Carolina's history.

The remedy? A new commission for the renovated Knapp-Sanders Building.

And last month, Quashie unveiled his 5-foot-high, 50-foot-long mural called "Service," the first milestone of the Missing History project, which was mounted in a long hallway opposite the school's cafeteria.

The mural is unlike much of the artist's work that came before it and could be a watershed moment for an artist who has cultivated a reputation for challenging conventions and stereotypes, his colleagues said.

History reclaimed

Ann Simpson, associate dean for development at the North Carolina school, said the idea for new artwork took hold in the late 1990s, when the renovation project got under way. 

The series of 14 murals painted by Frances Vandeveer Kughler failed to include the historical contributions of minority populations in the state. 

"Over time, this became controversial, both internally and outside the school," Simpson said. 

By 2007, school officials decided to commission two artists to paint murals depicting black and Native American history. 

Quashie, his reputation preceding him, made the short list. 

"His past work created quite a bit of discussion," Simpson said. But long discussions with the controversial artist put the selection committee at ease. 

Money was raised in a capital campaign, Simpson said, but the Great Recession left the project in limbo. That's when the Local Government Federal Credit Union and its president, Maurice Smith, came to the rescue, ponying up the $50,000 needed to fund Quashie's part of the project.

The concept for the mural was Quashie's. It was the Greensboro Four, students at North Carolina A&T College, who on Feb. 1, 1960, triggered a movement of nonviolent civil resistance to institutionalized segregation when they sat down at the Woolworth counter. It seemed only fitting to base the painting on the idea of "service."

In the picture, the four students -- Joseph McNeill, David Richmond, Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair Jr.) and Franklin McCain -- are dressed as chefs and stand in front of a long, well-populated lunch counter, which is divided into eight sections according to historical theme. The counter is a gathering place, Quashie explained. The Greensboro Four, who in 1960 demanded lunch service, were serving a much greater cause, the cause of an entire country.

Quashie portrays them "serving" history to the onlooker. The primary figures in the mural number 29 and include a slave couple, prominent educators, activists, businessmen, lawyers, writers and community leaders. Information about each person and scene is available by the mural and on a special project website.

The figures and details were painted from photographs, he said. He went to a local Waffle House to record images of eggs, soup, salad, crumbs on the plate, drinks, fruit and emptied half-and-half containers.

The painting took six and a half months to finish and involved extensive research, Quashie said.

He said he learned about the deeds, large and small, of many citizens fighting for a better world.

"You live with them so long they become part of you," he said. "They come alive." 

Latest Review of mural

The Charleston City Paper has weighed in on the mural:

August 04, 2010

ARTS+MOVIES » VISUAL ARTS

Local artist paints an important reminder of N.C.'s black history 

Missing History

by Nick Smith

Fifty years ago, four young African-American men sat at a lunch counter and helped spark a civil rights revolution.


Ezell Blair, Jr., David Richmond, Joseph McNeil, and Franklin McCain took seats reserved exclusively for whites. They were supposed to stand and eat. They didn't get served, but they were soon watched over by police who had been called by the manager. The next day, they returned with 27 other protesters. The resistance spread even further, with similar actions taking place across the South. It wasn't the first sit-in of its kind, but it was an important link in the chain of events that led to desegregation.

That Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, N.C., recently became the International Civil Rights Center and Museum. The sit-in is the inspiration for Charleston artist Colin Quashie's enormous new painting, "Service," which was unveiled last week at the University of North Carolina's School of Government at Chapel Hill in an event that coincided with the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of the Greensboro Woolworth's.Quashie is best known for art that questions the cross-cultural status quo. His collection includes the "O.J. Simpson Coloring & Activity Book," with a police pursuit maze and cut-out bloody gloves; a Black American Gothic Series with Oprah remarketed as Aunt Jemima; and the hanging sculpture "Black People Love Pork Because Africa is Shaped Like a Pork Chop." His new painting includes none of his trademark biting criticism, but its development was not without challenges.

The painting itself is a bold attempt to address an inequity at the School of Government. When the establishment was built in the 1950s, 12 large pieces of art were hung to celebrate North Carolinian history, and the series had a conspicuous absence of non-white people. In 2007, a commission was created to find new art, a modest mea culpa half a century too late. One of the selecting artists was Juan Logan, best known here for last year's Prop Master show at the Gibbes. Logan has known Quashie for 15 years, thought he'd be a perfect fit, and added his name to the hat.

According to Associate Dean for Development Ann Simpson, out of the 13 artists who sent proposals, the field was narrowed to three, including Quashie. When he heard he was in the top three, the artist's initial reaction was, "Oh shit, what am I going to do now?" Quashie never pursues commissions, preferring to do his own thing unhindered by corporate hand-wringing. Yet the idea of filling in this "missing history" intrigued him. The school had only one major concern about his concept — they didn't want to see lynchings or other scenes that would cause discomfort. Quashie agreed, becoming increasingly passionate about the subject as he learned more about the Greensboro Four and their fellow North Carolinians.

"I thought I'd get bored, but the subject matter sucked me in. It was stunning what they'd done," says Quashie of the Four and the dozens of other figures he's included in his artwork. "It was inspiring. I feel like I've led a wasted life compared to the circumstances in which these people achieved what they did."

Quashie had to make it clear to the committee that he wouldn't be lampooning his subject. Simpson says that his contentious rep made the committee nervous. "We talked quite a bit with him about the spirit of this work," she says, "and what we hoped it would convey. He understood that."

The artist's reply was direct: "I know the work you've seen is controversial, but I understand what this piece needs to do — show people how far we've come and hopefully get people interested in learning more about others who contributed to African-American history."

That was enough to satisfy the committee, but they had another concern: Quashie's choice of venue. Instead of hanging the painting beside the 50-year-old art in the school's high-profile atrium, he wanted it tucked away in a first floor hallway.

"A lot of people asked about that," says Simpson. "It's not a well-traveled hallway at first glance." The school didn't want to be accused of hiding their $45,000 African-American painting off the beaten path.

"They were disappointed," says the artist. "I had to convince them of the location." He told them he'd "take the hit" if there was any criticism, arguing that he hadn't chosen the space lightly. The long, white wall is perfect for his artwork, and it's across from the dining hall where thousands of students actually have time to stop and sample his work. Plus the art is site specific — the main subjects gather at a lunch counter, interacting with each other in life-sized proportions, discussing larger-than-life matters.

The completed painting justifies Logan's recommendation and the committee's faith in Quashie. It's a breathtaking reminder of the contributions African Americans have made to North Carolina's history, from activists to teachers and businessmen, escaped slaves and abolitionists. The artist realistically depicts more than 40 notable figures with unfussy brushstrokes.

"Service" doesn't just add to the art already at the school; it will undoubtedly get people talking. It's a perfect example of an artist becoming enthralled by his topic and making it reach out to others in a vivid, stimulating way.

CHARLESTON CITY PAPER

Credit Union meeting

I'm currently in Chapel Hill, NC on the campus of UNC. I had a scheduled meeting with some senior staff of the Local Government Federal Credit Union (LGFCU). They are the organization that graciously stepped in and decided to fund the commission. I'm not going to lie to you, the suits usually scare me to the point that I try and avoid them at all possible costs. Corporate and artists are usually oil and water that separate along a distinct creative line. But considering what this crew has done and their affiliation with the School of Government, they had to be given the benefit of doubt and assumed cool until proven guilty. I'm happy to report that we had an absolutely wonderful lunch meeting. They were attentive and very committed to the project beyond their financial aid. It's attitudes like that that makes you appreciate the sponsorship even more and want to work even harder to ensure that they are kept in the creative loop as much as possible. I even went so far as to extend an invitation to visit Charleston and view the process first hand, which I hope they will take advantage of. The meeting was also attended by a couple members of the staff (SOG Dean - Michael Smith and Faith Thompson, Assistant Dean of Development) as well as one of the original committee members, Chandra Cox.

Chandra Cox (Head of NCSU Dept. of Art & Design), Ann Simpson (SOG Associate Dean),

Michael Spink (LGFCU Comm. Mgr.), Ashley Ruffin (LGFCU Marketing) and Mark Caverly, (Exec. VP, LGFCU)

After the meeting I spent some time with Ann going over the names of the chosen few for the painting. Alas, a few heads rolled, but a couple were added. This process reminds me of a quote by film auteur John Huston who once said of movie scripts, "they're never finished, they're simply abandoned before shooting." I get the feeling that right up to the moment paint hits the canvas, history will continue to unfold (as it should). She produced some extra research material that contained more photographs of the subjects. Some have proven to be rather elusive. I also had a chance to meet a graduate intern, Barron Monroe, who has done some preliminary research at the Wilson Library that will save me a tremendous amount of time. I shall have to feed the young man and fill him with much drink for his efforts. 

www.quashie.com