Washington, DC | BreakfastTable with Mary Early, HEMPHILL Artworks

Join us for a morning conversation and gallery tour with Mary Early, Director of HEMPHILL Artworks, featuring the exhibition: Prints & Works on Paper.

Prints and Works on Paper (March 18 – May 6, 2023)
The 19 artists presented in Prints & Works on Paper worked from the mid-1930s through 2014. While the work spans almost a century, it was made within the shared social and political context of the Black experience in America. These artists did not perceive a line where activism ended and art began. Believing that pictures could make a difference, they were invested in advocating for justice, empowerment, and community through education; the intentionality of creating editioned prints in a workshop setting reflects this dedication. Printmaking facilitated a wider distribution of their messages, allowing artists to be deliberate about connection and reaching a larger audience. Imagery portraying a rich social life offered viewers positive self-representation, verity, and aspiration for the future. The private collection of 38 works passionately assembled over a 30-year period, is honest in content and impressive in technique, both captivating the audience and effectively conveying the artworks’ significance. By boldly broadcasting their identities while the art world was systematically prejudiced, the artists in Prints & Works on Paper documented a difficult past and visualized a brighter future.

Ron Adams, Benny Andrews, Romare Bearden, John Biggers, Elizabeth Catlett, Robert Colescott, Allan Rohan Crite, Aaron Douglas, Sam Gilliam, Palmer Hayden, Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis, Lois Mailou Jones, Alison Saar, Charles Sebree, Renée Stout, James Lesesne Wells, Charles White, Hale Woodruff

Admission:

• ArtTable Members – complimentary
• Member Guests – $10

Not a member? Join today!

Please note that all income from program fees goes toward ArtTable’s internal costs for organizing programs.

ABOUT MARY EARLY

Mary Early (b. 1975) is an artist and art dealer based in Washington, DC. She studied visual art, film, and video at Bennington College, and her work has been exhibited at the United States Botanic Garden, Washington Project for the Arts, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Second Street Gallery (Charlottesville, VA), Hemphill Fine Arts (Washington DC,) the Austrian Cultural Forum (Washington DC), Galerie Im Ersten (Vienna, Austria), Kloster Schloss Salem (Salem, Germany), Kunstlerbund Tubingen (Tubingen, Germany), the American University Museum (Washington DC), and the Sun Valley Museum of Art (Ketchum, ID). Early’s work is included in the collections of the US Department of State/Embassy of Panama and Embassy of Jordan, the District of Columbia Art Bank, the American University Museum (Corcoran Collection). She is a recipient of the Artist Fellowship Grant from the DC Commission on Arts & Humanities, Washington DC (2022, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2011, 2009, 2007).

Early is the director of HEMPHILL Artworks, Washington, DC, and serves on the boards of Hamiltonian Artists and Washington Sculptors Group. She handles the work of contemporary artists and artist estates, including William Christenberry (Estate), Colby Caldwell, Jacob Kainen (Estate), Hedieh Javanshir Ilchi, Mingering Mike, Robin Rose, Renée Stout, Alma Woodsey Thomas, Julie Wolfe, Workingman Collective. She specializes in the artists of the Washington Color School. Early works with living artists and artists’ heirs on long-range planning, and with private and institutional collectors to build and manage significant collections. She has a particular interest in public art and community engagement, the materials and processes of contemporary sculpture, and professional development for emerging and under-represented artists.

ABOUT HEMPHILL

HEMPHILL Artworks opened in Washington DC in September, 1993. The exhibition schedule features contemporary art ranging in media from emerging to mid-career and established artists. In addition to these shows, the gallery mounts exhibitions of historically-significant artwork and socially relevant subjects. The diversity of this schedule is designed to showcase important talent and provide artwork that appeals to a broad range of interests.

From its beginnings, HEMPHILL has advised corporate and private collectors. This initial client base was built upon contacts and experiences gained in academia, with private galleries, and with architectural and design firms. HEMPHILL’s consulting and advisory work has expanded to include companies and individuals worldwide. HEMPHILL offers collectors the chance to experience a broad range of aesthetic experiences both through the gallery exhibition program and through private viewing opportunities. It also provides an opportunity to be directly involved in the artists’ community as well as the creative process.

Special events include the ongoing ART TALKS series, artist book signings, and charitable vents for area nonprofits. Begun in 1998, the ART TALKS series includes educational lectures on topics such as collecting for beginners, artist talks, and panel discussions on issues in contemporary art. In 2020, HEMPHILL inaugurated a new gallery space in Washington’s historic Mount Vernon Square neighborhood. Featuring an open gallery floor plan and glass partitions that invite guests into the office area, the design allows for increased interaction and conversation. As we enter 2023, the third year in this new space and the third year of a global pandemic, we continue to welcome first-time visitors.

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