A Traveling Art Exhibition by the Chuma Art Gallery of Charleston, SC
Opening Exhibition:  February 11, 2012

The original paintings and sculptures in this exhibition examine the everyday lives of the Gullah people and their culture in the Southeastern region of the United States of America. It celebrates their cultural legacies, and deals with the struggles and issues they face in trying to sustain their culture in modern day America. The Gullah people are primarily, descendants of the slaves who worked on the rice plantations on the Sea Islands of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. They speak an English derived Creole language with vocabulary elements and grammatical features from several African languages.

The exhibition explores and defines what is now termed "Gullah Art" as embraced by collectors, critics, students and scholars.

The artists represented in the exhibition are all contemporary artists working today. Their art is about cultural heritage and cultural celebration. It’s about supporting and advancing the very notion of contemporary Gullah art while still acknowledging the rich Gullah history and artistic expression that came before it. The artists value their work not just for the aesthetics but also use their work as a voice to help preserve a rich cultural legacy. These artists are Legacy Preservationists.

The exhibition includes varied artworks from all Gullah culture areas, and is comprised of paintings and drawings executed in conventional art media and mixed media, basketry, sculpture, video artist, and storytelling. The exhibition utilizes a multi-media experience in visual art, video art and storytelling to place the viewer in the Gullah Islands.

Artists include: Jonathan Green, Carol A. Simmons, John W. Jones, Tyrone Geter, Nikia Wigfall, Leroy Campbell, Irene Tison, Judy Mooney, Arianne King-Comer

The exhibition was organized by the Avery Research Center at the College of Charleston in collaboration with Chuma Art Gallery of Charleston. All paintings will be sold by the artists.

For more information, call the York W. Bailey Museum at Penn Center (843) 838-2474 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .