Artworks by Woodruff and Prophet on view
‘Autumn in Georgia,’ by Hale Woodruff, ca. 1931, oil on canvas, 20 x 24 inches, University Museums of the University of Delaware, Paul R. Jones Collection of African American Art
4:49 p.m., Sept. 27, 2007--The works of painter Hale Woodruff and sculptor Nancy Elizabeth Prophet are on display in UD's Mechanical Hall through Dec. 9.

The exhibition and accompanying catalogue demonstrate the legacy that Woodruff and Prophet established in Atlanta as African-American artists and instructors at Atlanta University, and later with the Atlanta University Center, from the late 1920s to the 1940s.

Woodruff, a painter, muralist and printmaker, was a member of the Atlanta University faculty for 19 years and was responsible for establishing the university's art program. The Paris-trained artist initiated the Atlanta University Art Annuals, 29 national art exhibitions for black artists.

Woodruff's early work reflects his exposure to cubism while living in France during the late 1920s. Later, the urban and rural landscapes of Georgia influenced his work and that of his students. He also was inspired by Mexican muralists like Diego Rivera, with whom he studied.

Born and raised in Rhode Island, Prophet was the first African-American to graduate from the Rhode Island School of Design. She became a renowned sculptor in the U.S. and France and created an impressive body of work while she lived in Paris from 1922-34.

Prophet was associated with the New Negro Movement, which called on African-American artists to learn from African practitioners and to develop their own cultural style. Her arrival in Atlanta added the three-dimensional component necessary for the Atlanta University Center to initiate a degree-granting program in art.

Most of her work has been lost or destroyed. The UD exhibition is one of only a few organized outside of Prophet's home state of Rhode Island.

The exhibition includes 17 Paris paintings by Woodruff, two from his Celestial Gate series, a series of linocuts depicting buildings newly erected on the campus of the Atlanta University Center and six sculptures by Prophet, including her best-known work, Congolais.

The original version of the exhibition was organized by the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art in Atlanta, with support from the Getty Foundation and the Henry Luce Foundation.

Museum hours are: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Wednesdays from 11 a.m.- 8 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays from 1-4 p.m. The galleries are closed on University holidays.

For more information, call (302) 831-8037 or visit [www.udel.edu/museums].

Article by Barbara Garrison