"The Outwin: American Portraiture Today" at the Orlando Museum of Art , Part 1

"Elizah Leonard" by Tom Jones (2020)
(inkjet print with beads, rhinestones and shells)

Virginia Outwin Boochever is a woman I'd like to have known. She served as one of the first female commissioned officers in the Navy WAVES program during WWII. She traveled the world as the wife of a foreign service officer. When the couple retired to D.C., she was an active volunteer in her community. Her favorite  "job" was being a docent at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. What a life she had. 

Outwin's commitment to the National Portrait Gallery has continued beyond her death. Her will included an endowment for the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition to be hosted by the National Portrait Gallery. The triennial competition is open to artists in the United States and Puerto Rico, with the winner receiving a whopping $25,000. Work in any visual art medium is eligible. Of this year's 2500+ entries, 42 were selected for inclusion in the exhibit. After being on view at the National Portrait Gallery, the exhibit traveled to the Orlando Museum of Art, where I caught the show. 

"Elizah Leonard" by Tom Jones was awarded Second Prize in this year's competition. Jones is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin. The artist's portrait of Leonard is part of his "Strong Unrelenting Spirits" series in which he depicts fellow tribal members. The wall card for the work explained that Elizah is a champion dancer and the recipient of an All-American Scholarship for wrestling. This is a young woman willing to work hard to achieve her dreams. 

Not surprisingly, each element of the image has meaning. The Fancy Dance shawl was made by her mother, the jewelry by her grandfather. The pattern of the white beadwork recalls a spiritual experience the artist had when visiting a Sioux medicine man. Like the other portraits in the exhibit, this is a work that can be appreciated both for its beauty and its meaning. For more about Jones and his art, click here. 

While "Killed Negative #13/After Arthur Rothstein" looks like a photograph, it is in fact a drawing created by Joel Daniel Phillips. This incredible work was awarded a commendation in the exhibit. The story behind the series makes it all the more powerful. 

In the 1930s, the Farm Security Administration decided to document the hardships of the Depression. Roy Stryker, head of the FSA's Historical Department, sent photographers across the country to collect images. When Stryker received the negatives, he nixed those he didn't want to use by punching holes in them. The FSA referred to this process as "killing" the negative. Of course, the stories behind those images were also being eliminated. 

Phillips discovered this practice while looking at FSA photographs from the period at the Library of Congress. He was taken aback when he came upon a photo by Walker Evans with a large hole in it. From this discovery came a collaboration between Phillips and writer Quraysh Ali Lnsana to revive these images and honor the subjects. 

Phillips' drawing depicts an anonymous resident of Eighty Acres in Glassboro, New Jersey. The photograph on which the work was based was taken by photojournalist Arthur Rothstein. To read the accompanying poem, click here. I particularly like the final words: "good day, sir."  The tip of the subject's hat says so much about him. For more on Phillips and his work, click here. 

"Refugees Crossing the Border Wall into South Texas"
by Rigoberto A. Gonzalez (2020)

I'll leave you with a painting with a modern message created in a style that harkens back to the Baroque period of art -- "Refugees Crossing the Border Wall into South Texas" by Rigoberto A. Gonzalez. My picture does not do the image justice. It's impossible to capture the way Gonzales uses light to draw attention to the faces of this family risking their lives to get to the United States. And some of the details get lost in this picture due to the painting's size. For instance, the mother is holding a rosary, a detail that recalls religious paintings of the Baroque period. But we are definitely in today's world. The detritus in the bottom left corner includes a medical mask and a newspaper heralding Trump's impeachment. 

Gonzales lives and works close to the Mexican border, so it's no surprise that border-related issues provide the basis for much of his art. Gonzales has said, "The theme running through my works...is the dramatic lives and stories of everyday individuals from border communities...For several years the news media have been reporting stories on the rising number of families, especially children, immigrating to the U.S., and the escalating violence on the border...It is important for me as an artist to address these contemporary concerns and create a visual record portraying these events with an artistic sensibility. I believe that painting can evoke an authentic aesthetic experience that conveys meaning in people's lives and work as a catalyst for change." 

This isn't the first time Gonzales' work has been selected for the Outwin Portraiture Exhibit. His painting "The Guide" was included in the 2016 show. The exhibit's touring schedule that year included the Art Museum of South Texas, and Gonzalez was on hand for the opening. To see that work and an excerpt from his remarks, click here. And for more of Gonzalez' work, click here. 

Next up: More from "The Outwin: American Portraiture Today" at the Orlando Museum of Art.