Joyce Wellman’s works Third Eye (L) and Untitled Sky (R) will be included in the group exhibition The Oracle Said “Be Still,” curated by Renée Stout, and Newly Selected Artist, Shamila Chaudhary at IA&A Hillyer October 7-29.

“During the height of Covid, I created a print that featured a disembodied head (the ‘oracle’), in which it suggested in a speech bubble that we should ‘be still.’ In that stillness I had hoped that we would all take the time to care for ourselves, reassess our lives and re-focus on the things that are most important.” — Renée Stout

Following the premonition of the “oracle,” Stout chose not to place importance on showcasing the featured artists’ most recent works. Instead, she selected works by the artists that collectively evoke a variety of thoughts, moods, and feelings that can be articulated with words like reflective, wistful, introspective, pensive, playful, forlorn, spiritual, and joyful.

Pondering the works, Stout experienced moments of reverie, solace, escape, and a deep sense of longing for something undefinable. In many instances, the titles of the works offer portals into their own narratives and trajectories. It’s that quiet, undefinable, and elusive thing, simultaneously serendipitous and melancholy, to the point of bittersweetness that Stout was aiming to present to the viewer to muse upon in their own way, to hopefully find some peace within the stillness.

Featuring artists: Cheryl Edwards, Sharon Farmer, Cianne Fragione, Adrienne Gaither, Elaine Qiu, Ellyn Weiss, Joyce Wellman, and Trevor Young

Learn more.

Images: The Third Eye, 1992. Etching, 20 x 16 in. and Untitled Sky, 1985. Etching, 20 x 16 in. 20 Eds.

Joyce Wellman’s artist book Mutual 3, 5, 7 is featured in the exhibition Decade of Tradition: Highlights from the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection at the Georgia Museum of Art through July 3, 2024.

In 2012, Larry and Brenda Thompson gave 100 works of art by African American artists to the Georgia Museum of Art, mirroring the original donation of 100 American paintings by museum founder Alfred Heber Holbrook. In addition, they endowed a curatorial position to steward this collection to help fulfill the museum’s vision of an inclusive canon of American art. This exhibition includes works from the 2011 traveling exhibition “Tradition Redefined,” which preceded the gift, as well as subsequent works added in recent years that have not been on view in other galleries. These works celebrate the expansion of the museum’s permanent collection through this transformative gift of works by African American artists.

On view with recently installed works from The Phillips' permanent collection. This iteration was curated by Sue Frank.

Learn more about visiting The Phillips Collection, including address, admission fees, and operating hours.

Joyce Wellman, The Big Five, 2005. Acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 72 x 60 in. Gift of the artist, 2022

Join me for a two-part program at the Phillips Collection in conjunction with the exhibition Pour, Tear, Carve: Material Possibilities in the Collection, where my work is included.

Artist Talk: April 27, 6:30­­–7:30PM

Learn about the artist’s practice during a talk in the exhibition galleries facilitated by Phillips Assistant Curator Camille Brown.

Workshop: April 29, 2-4PM

Return for a hands-on workshop led by the artist to apply what you learned to your own creations. All materials provided.

Registration Open/In-Person. Registration required; capacity is limited.

$16, Seniors $12, Students $10, free for members. Includes museum admission.

Images: Left: Joyce Wellman, credit: Sharon Farmer; Joyce Wellman, Journey Through Migration, 1985, Color viscosity etching, 22 x 16 in., The Phillips Collection, Gift of the artist, 2022. 

The Phillips Collection highlights the diversity and intricacy of its permanent collection in Pour, Tear, Carve: Material Possibilities in the Collection. The multi-faceted exhibition on view March 18–May 14, 2023, features over 65 works from the Phillips’s vast permanent collection and delves into how artists have used both historic and contemporary art materials as conduits of meaning and to generate discussion.

Wow! Friends and lovers of art, 2023 is going to be a blast!

First, I am a featured artist on Now Be Here’s social media accounts (see Facebook and Instagram). It is a wonderful organization dedicated to promoting women artists. I am honored, excited, and having fun being featured on their social media feeds.

Upcoming!

My work is featured in a group exhibition at The Phillips Collection—Pour, Tear, Carve, Material Possibilities in the Collection, from March 18 -May 14, 2023. Material Possibilities considers how artists have utilized historic and contemporary art materials to act as conduits of meaning. The show is culled from the Phillips’ permanent collection, and my featured etching is Journey Thru Migration.

Look out for more from me this year, including “Requiem for a Numbers Player”—the movie!

"I'm so excited!"

Always,

Joyce 

Exhibited in the group exhibition Imagine: Celebrating Black Female Creativity at the Featherstone Center for the Arts, Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, August 7-September 5, 2022. Curated by Adrienne L. Childs.

Today's #TBT is to Autumn Passages, made in conjunction with Joyce Wellman's 2005 exhibition Chance and Other Musings, a solo exhibition at the North Carolina A&T State Museum Gallery, Greensboro, North Carolina.