Vol. 19, No. 8Oct. 21, 1999

Gallery contributes to George Washington Carver event

This photo of George Moore, taken in 1930 by P.H. Polk,
is now part of the collection of Paul R. Jones, which was
featured in last year's University Gallery exhibition,
Through These Eyes: The Photographs of P.H. Polk.
Other photographs were provided for the recent
exhibition honoring George Washington Carver.

The University Gallery contributed photographs of George Washington Carver, which it currently holds on loan from the Paul R. Jones Collection, to an exhibition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture coinciding with the naming of new facilities in the famed scientist's honor. The Oct. 6 dedication ceremony was held at USDA headquarters in Washington, D.C., for the George Washington Carver Center in Beltsville, Md.

The University Gallery's groundbreaking exhibition of the work of African-American photographer P.H. Polk was the catalyst for UD's participation in Carver Center festivities. Mounted at the University Gallery in January 1998, the Polk exhibition won widespread praise at a number of venues across the country, including Iowa State University, where Carver received his advanced training, Fisk University in Nashville, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the Atlanta History Center. It will open Oct. 1 at the Anacostia Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

"Our involvement stems directly from the traveling exhibition," Belena Chapp, University Gallery, said. "It's been very well received and the special catalog we produced for the exhibit has almost completely sold out."

While visiting Iowa State University, David Bell, associate deputy director of operations for the USDA, saw the exhibition catalog, which was edited by Chapp and includes significant contributions by UD graduate and undergraduate students.

Bell originally wanted to have the Polk exhibition placed at the Carver Center for its opening, but the exhibition was already committed to the Anacostia Museum. Chapp, however, was able to arrange a smaller exhibition featuring 12 images of Carver at work or hosting visiting dignitaries at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University), where Carver spent his distinguished career. These photographs, along with other items honoring Carver, will be shown at a USDA site in Washington, D.C.

"Polk's documentation of the daily work of this scientist is very important. Carver trusted Polk," Chapp explained, "but wasn't that enthusiastic about having a photographer tagging along all the time, so some of the photos are rather grainy or out of focus-Polk had to snap them on the run. In spite of this, Polk managed to capture in the photographs Carver's intensity and humanitarian spirit. Paul R. Jones, who owns these images, has been a strong advocate for the University Gallery program and encouraged us to use them for the USDA presentation."

Chapp noted that the success of the Polk exhibition and the University Gallery's contribution to the Carver Center dedication testify to the gallery's work as a teaching museum. "We don't have a large staff here, so the participation of students is critical to our success. Their involvement also gives them the opportunity to undertake scholarship and gain professional experience.

"Both graduate and undergraduate students contributed excellent work to the Polk catalog, and with student help I matted and framed the photographs of Carver and created interpretive panels for use in the USDA show.

"All of us at the Gallery, staff and students alike, are happy that our work celebrating Polk's talent as a photographer has led to our taking part in the national effort to honor Carver's achievements as a scientist," Chapp said.

-Christina Bielaszka-DuVernay