Sam Gilliam: A Generosity of Time

media release: MMoCA will present RECOLLECT: Sam Gilliam, an exhibition reflecting on the innovative work of the internationally recognized artist and his impact on the development of Madison’s creative culture.

The Mississippi-born Gilliam was an abstract artist originally associated with the Washington Color School of the late 1950s and the 1960s. Artists aligned with this movement were known for staining their canvases with color so as to emphasize a painting’s two-dimensionality. Gilliam was recognized as the first artist to remove the wooden stretcher bars that determined the shape of his paintings, thereby allowing his vivid, color-stained canvases to hang, billow, and swing through space.

Guided by stories shared by those who knew Gilliam, RECOLLECT: Sam Gilliam is a meditation on individual and extremely personal ties to the artist and his works. On View August 10, 2023–March 3, 2024 • Henry Street Gallery

Sam Gilliam: A Generosity of Time talk:  Saturday, December 2 • 2 PM • Henry Street Gallery • Free Admission

Guided by stories from people who knew him, the exhibition RECOLLECT: Sam Gilliam reflects on the artist’s impact on Madison’s creative culture. Bruce Crownover, an artist and a former master printer at Tandem Press, first met Sam Gilliam in 1986. They continued to collaborate for over three decades. This Saturday, Crownover will share memories, stories, and lessons learned from Gilliam.