‘From Africville’ to ‘Hidden Blackness’: Revered painters featured in first exclusive exhibitions at home

Two Black Maritime painters are getting exhibitions this year.

The paintings of Edward Mitchell Bannister and Edith MacDonald-Brown are historical masterpieces, yet their art and stories have only recently been rediscovered in their home Maritime provinces.

David Woods is a big reason for the renewed reverence.

Woods, a Nova Scotia artist and organizing founder of the Black Artists Network of Nova Scotia, is curating two art exhibitions, exclusively celebrating Bannister and MacDonald-Brown for the first time in Canada: “Hidden Blackness: Edward Mitchell Bannister,” and “From Africville: The Paintings of Edith MacDonald-Brown.”

Woods has dedicated several years of work to make both exhibitions a reality, beginning his efforts for an exclusive Canadian Bannister exhibition dating back to 1998.

“I concentrate on the fact that we have finally brought something to life that we can share with the public,” says Woods, in an interview.

As a teenager living in Dartmouth, N.S., Woods says he first learned of Edward Mitchell Bannister’s name and story through a late-night segment on a Boston radio station. The moment left a lasting impression.

“I was totally amazed that somebody from my neck of the woods had achieved such fame and recognition in the United States,” said Woods.

Bannister was born in Saint Andrews, N.B., in 1828.

The radio segment included the story of Bannister winning the 1876 Centennial Medal in Philadelphia, which was the biggest art prize of the time in America. Jurors of the award tried to take Bannister’s award away once they realized he was Black. Ultimately, Bannister kept his award and went on to create more successful pieces before his death in 1901 in Rhode Island – where a memorial to Bannister was recently installed.

Today, the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., owns the largest collection of Bannister’s works, and has loaned pieces for “Hidden Blackness.”

The works of Edith MacDonald-Brown, the granddaughter of one of Africville’s original deed holders, were never truly revealed until after her death in 1954.

MacDonald-Brown was born in Africville in 1886, and her talent for painting was evident from a young age. Yet she was never a full-time artist.

“Her works, which she painted primarily in the late 1800s and early 1900s, were never shown outside of her own family,” says Woods.

Today, MacDonald-Brown is regarded as one of the first examples of fine art produced by an African Canadian woman.

The first exhibition to be ever held of MacDonald-Brown’s work will include most of her known oil paintings.

“We had to spend a lot of time conserving them,” says Woods. “They had never been conserved so they were very fragile.”

The upcoming “From Africville: The Paintings of Edith MacDonald-Brown” runs Feb. 15 to April 26 at Mount Saint Vincent University’s Art Gallery in Halifax.

“Hidden Blackness: Edward Mitchell Bannister” runs at Mount Allison University’s Owens Art Gallery in Sackville, N.B., until April 6, with appearances scheduled later this year in Charlottetown and Halifax.

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