“Sam Gilliam: Printmaker” — celebrating Juneteenth and Black artistry at the Columbia Museum of Art

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — In celebration of Juneteenth, visitors to the Columbia Museum of Art are being treated with free admission and guided tours throughout June 19th.

One exhibition showcases a Black artist who refused to color inside the lines.

Guests will first encounter an exhibition on Sam Gilliam — a Black printmaker known for pushing the boundaries of abstract art through vibrant colors and combinations.

“We grew up knowing we’re supposed to color between the lines. And our kids need to know, like I do, that you don’t have to. Because there’s more space outside those lines!” says CMA commissioner  Dr. Nancy Tolson.

Known as “the father of draped canvas,” much of Gilliam’s work was created in Washington D.C. at the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

“He even changed the way in which art has been configured, instead of stretching the canvas and putting them on boards, he now is able to saturate the colors on the canvas and drape them and almost make them something more powerful than tie dye,” says Tolson.

According to the museum, Gilliam refused to be weighed down by expectations on racial identity — instead creating thought-provoking pieces that allow the viewer to determine its meaning.

“You know, no he didn’t have faces that look Black or these things that look Black, but he was a Black man who interpreted what he saw through abstract. Instead of seeing it you could feel it. He talked about John Coltrane, Miles Davis, the moving parts of music, and to me that was how he interpreted. It’s almost like Sam Gilliam was the jazz that came to visualization,” she says.

Reinvention and experimentation were constant for Gilliam — taking apart some of his own art pieces to create a new art piece called “Flowers.”

“And that’s just how we can do. We think we must do this and do this all of our lives. Instead, we can do this. Stop. Change our lives. And create something beautiful from the experiences we’ve already had, and go onto another career, or another way of art,” she says.

Having guided guests through artwork on Juneteenth for four years now, Dr. Tolson says the day is about moving forward in thought, purpose, and dedication to the cause.

“And my cause is to show people how beautiful Black art really is. To have people come for me to talk and to hear them talk and see what they see and interpret it for themselves,” she says.

“Sam Gilliam: Printmaker” will be available at CMA through Labor Day.