Part I - Introduction: John Augustus Walker (American, 1901-1967), Muralist and Painter, Mobile, Alabama
Review of the 2021 Exhibition "John Augustus Walker Paints Mobile," Co-Curated by Tiffany Beasley
In the summer of 2021, along with the assistant curator, I was charged with creating an exhibit interpreting the works of Mobile, Alabama, artist John Augustus Walker (American, 1901-1967), held in the collection of the History Museum of Mobile. The museum had recently acquired three new paintings by the well-known Mobile artist and were looking to highlight his works for the museum open house in August. Originally, the exhibit was to be a simple hallway presentation, but after discovery of several stored works held in the collection, we were permitted to use a gallery space on the second floor.
Along with the exhibit, I was asked to think of a way to highlight the murals Walker painted in the downstairs lobby of the museum building (formerly City Hall) in the 1930s. There are 11 oil-on-canvas murals, installed in situ, that were painted by Mr. Walker in 1935-1936 under the Works Progress Administration, a program set up by the Franklin Roosevelt Administration in order to put job-seekers back to work during the Great Depression. I created panel labels interpreting each of the murals, as well as a main panel to introduce the murals to visitors. In the end, the panels were not displayed for aesthetic reasons, but I will share them here as part of this series.
After completing the mural panels, I began work on the design for the gallery space for the exhibit, which included picking out the artwork, researching the art, designing the placement for each piece in the space and creating a schematic drawing, and helping the assistant curator decide what temporary walls and exhibit cases would be the best fit for the exhibit.
I began searching through the original records of Mr. Walker’s art held in the collection for proper labeling. It was important to understand as much as I could about his life; therefore, I spent several hours researching his personal papers that were donated to the collection many years ago.
At this point we began working with a frame shop in Mobile to find the best frames for display. To save on framing costs, several other works were displayed unframed in cases. I then chose the art based on categories I felt best interpreted his life and style. The categories I chose were Life and Training, Use of Vibrant Color, WPA Murals, WPA Projects, Sinbad, and Works Depicting Mobile (including the new acquisitions.)
I came across some really vibrant watercolor paintings and an illustrator’s dummy book from The Seven Voyages of Sinbad and researched to see if Mr. Walker had illustrated a book. No record could be found that his illustrations were published, but, in my opinion, next to the murals, they are some of his best work. After a trip to the library to find a Sinbad storybook, I was then able to understand the depictions in the watercolor paintings.
It was at this point that we chose the color for the temporary walls and exhibit cases. I conducted research for the panel wording, and the art and panels were then installed in groupings according to the categories. The three new acquisitions were used at the outside entrance to the exhibit, to highlight their status as new acquisitions. The exhibit opened on August 1, 2021.
The creative license I was given for this project, the accommodations provided for my research, and the patience of the staff were beyond helpful and professional. This was one of the best projects I have worked on, and I appreciated the opportunity to take the lead in creating this exhibit. On August 1, 2021, family, friends, and the community joined me at the open house to see the exhibit and my work.
This is fascinating and beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing <3 You look in your element, for sure!
We were in D.C. this year and I always visit the National Art Gallery while there. I often find it overwhelming and I realized this time around its because I want to connect to the pieces more than aesthetically- to know the story, the culture of the time, and the thoughts within the artist. I so appreciate your writings on here- I feel I get to experience art in that way through your posts!