Exhibitions: Black /South Africa/Contemporary Graphics and Tapestries

January 20, 1976: Rorkes Drift Graphics, the first group exhibition in this country of works by black South African graphic artists, will be presented jointly at The Brooklyn Museum and the neighboring Brooklyn Public Library from March 25 through May 16, 1976. On view will be about 90 etchings and linocuts by ten young Africans who have studied at the Rorkes Drift art school located in Natal on the border of Zululand. A number of tapestries by weavers trained at the school will also be shown. The exhibition is being organized by Kenneth F. Duchac, Director of the Brooklyn Public Library.

According to Mr. Duchac, “The Rorkes Drift School was started in the early 1960’s to offer fine arts education to blacks. Under the aegis of the Evengelical Lutheran Church of the town of Rorkes Drift, two Swedish artists recruited talented students for courses in textile weaving, graphics, sculpture, pottery and silk-screen printing. Since the late sixties, a number of students and graduates have produced a body of impressive linocuts and etchings. The works concentrate on three themes: village life, contemporary urban life and Biblical stories. Many of the graphics present strong statements on the status of blacks, collectively and as individuals, in South Africa today.”

Brooklyn Museum Archives. Records of the Department of Public Information. Press releases, 1971 - 1988. 1976, 001. View Original

March 16, 1976: The first major exhibition in this country of works of art by black South African artists will be presented jointly at The Brooklyn Museum and the neighboring Brooklyn Public Library from March 25 through May 16, 1976. Black/South Africa/Contemporary Graphics and Tapestries consists of some 100 etchings and linocuts by ten young Africans who have studied at the Rorke’s Drift art school located in Natal on the border of Zululand. A number of tapestries by weavers trained at the school will also be shown. The exhibition was organized by Kenneth F. Duchac, Director of the Brooklyn Public Library, and Sylvia Williams, Assistant Curator of African, Oceanic and New World Cultures at the Museum.

“The works concentrate on three themes," Mr. Duchac notes, “village life, contemporary urban life and Bible stories. They have such an immediate appeal and represent so well the culture, lore, aspirations and problems of South African blacks that they almost interpret themselves. Many of the graphics present strong statements on the status of blacks, collectively and as individuals, in South Africa today.”

The Rorke’s Drift school was started in the early 1960’s to offer fine arts education to blacks. Under the aegis of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the town of Rorke’s Drift, two Swedish artists recruited talented students for courses in textile weaving, graphics, sculpture, pottery and silk-screen printing. Since the late ‘60’s, a number of students and graduates have produced a body of impressive linocuts and etchings.

“As can be seen from the majority of the prints in this collection,” Ms. Williams writes in the exhibition catalogue (1), “the complex world of the black South African artist is filled with conflict and that conflict has emotionally stimulated him: it has become a source and outlet for creative expression. The striking juxtaposition of black and white imagery is always figurative and bold in its forceful protestation of social injustice and social inequality; in its depiction of human pathos, fear, and anxiety; and in its revelation of hope.”

The Central Library of the Brooklyn Public Library is at Eastern Parkway and Flatbush Avenue (Grand Army Plaza). The Brooklyn Museum is located nearby at Eastern Parkway and Washington Avenue. The Library is open from 9 A.M. to 8 P.M. Monday to Thursday; 10-6 Friday and Saturday, and 1-5 Sunday. The Museum’s Print Gallery is open 10-5 Wednesday and Thursday, 1:30-5 Friday and Saturday and noon-5 on Sunday. It is closed Monday and Tuesday. Admission to both institutions is free.

(1). Black/South Africa/Contemporary Graphics.
Foreward by Kenneth F. Duchac, introduction by Sylvia Williams.
64 pp, 58 b&w illustrations, paperbound.
Published by The Brooklyn Museum. $4.95

Brooklyn Museum Archives. Records of the Department of Public Information. Press releases, 1971 - 1988. 1976, 003-4. View Original 1 . View Original 2