The Delaware Art Museum will present a series of works by Charles Edward Williams that celebrate Wilmington’s own Alice Dunbar-Nelson. I Sit and Sew: Tracing Alice Dunbar-Nelson is a 12-piece exhibition that opens Oct. 2 and runs through Feb. 6, 2022. The exhibition, which will be installed in the Picturing America gallery focusing on early American art, is included with museum admission.
Dunbar-Nelson (1875–1935) was an important American literary figure with a Delaware story. The poet and political activist spent most of her career writing and lecturing in Wilmington and taught at Wilmington’s Howard High School from the early 1900s to 1920.
Williams, born in 1984 in Georgetown, S.C., draws on historical photography of the Civil Rights Movement to inspire his work. Pairing vibrant colors with distinct portraits, Williams establishes an emotional connection between the image and the viewer.
“This commission presented a beautiful opportunity to engage Williams and align his work with a significant Wilmington story,” said Margaret Winslow, DAM’s Curator of Contemporary Art.
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