Family Day: Local Art (Rosenbaum)
Family Day this month is a special collaboration between the Georgia Museum of Art and UGA’s Special Collections Libraries that celebrates local artist Art Rosenbaum. We’ll explore the history and music of the McIntosh County Shouters, the subject of a painting by Rosenbaum at the museum. And we’ll look at Georgia’s political history in Rosenbaum’s mural “Doors” created for the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. Check out the Family Day site for more info.(opens in new tab)
About the Artist
Art Rosenbaum learned how to paint from his mother, Della. He studied visual art and art history in college and in Paris. Rosenbaum moved to Athens, Georgia, in 1976, to teach art at the University of Georgia.
Rosenbaum’s visual art often includes references to music. When he was in college he used his prize money from a juried art show to purchase his first banjo. Now he is a well-known visual artist and documents and performs traditional American folk music. “McIntosh County Shouters” is a great example of how Rosenbaum’s paintings celebrate musical traditions.
Rosenbaum’s “Doors” mural reveals another of his interests. Many of his paintings focus on history and on Georgia. They tell the story of life as it happens around us. Rosenbaum said he sees himself as “some kind of tour guide with oil paint.” Lead the way, Art!
McIntosh Family Shouters
Art Rosenbaum paints the world he sees around him. Through his paintings, he captures what he cannot express through words or music. In “McIntosh County Shouters,” he paints the rhythm, movement and joy of the ring shout.
Close Looking
This painting celebrates the McIntosh County Shouters. It combines Rosenbaum’s love of music and history. Take a closer look at the people in the painting. Can you describe what each one is doing? Listen to the ring shout at https://s.si.edu/37pZjIP. Do you think the song matches the painting? Can you see the rhythm of the ring shout in the painting?
About the McIntosh County Shouters
Enslaved West Africans brought the tradition of the ring shout to North America. It is the oldest known African American performance tradition and is associated with burial rituals. The tradition combines call-and-response singing, percussion, hand clapping and foot tapping. Singing was a way for enslaved people to communicate when they were not allowed to talk to each other. Now the shout is a way to celebrate the freedom, resilience and culture of Black Americans. To learn more about the McIntosh County Shouters and the tradition of the ring shout, check out the Family Day website.
Paint What You Hear
For this art activity you will capture the mood and energy of music. Can you paint how music sounds? What color matches slow music? Does a smooth or jumpy line go with exciting, upbeat music?
For this project, you will need
- A small canvas* or something to paint or draw on
- Paper to practice on*
- A paintbrush* or markers/crayons/oil pastels
- Paint*
- Music (check out the Family Day website for music by the McIntosh County Shouters)
To make your painting
- Before you start painting or drawing, find a song you like and listen to it to get in the mood.
- Get your practice paper and painting or drawing materials and play the song again. As you listen, make marks on your paper. What colors or kinds of lines does the music inspire you to make?
- Keep painting until your painting is complete.
- Try again with a new song. Compare the two paintings. How are they different or the same?
- Get ready to paint or draw on your canvas. Play a new song or one you have already used and repeat step 2 again.
- Share your work on social media and tag the museum (@georgiamuseum) so we can see your masterpiece!
“Doors”
Titled “Doors,” this mural tells the history of Georgia politics in the 20th century. Moving from left to right, the work shows the state’s transition from rural farms to the modern age. It features over four dozen people who have shaped Georgia government and politics since 1900. Russell Library archivists appear at the right. They perform the day-to-day activities required to collect, preserve and provide access to the collection.
Take a Closer Look
Try to find clues in the mural that connect people and their actions to moments in time. How does the skyline change? What do you see people doing? Do you recognize any of the places or people?
Who Is Part of History?
It was hard to create this mural. Rosenbaum had to fit more than 100 years of history onto a single wall just 30 feet wide and 9 feet tall. He had to make choices about what people, places and events to include that work together to tell a complex story. He included people he admired and those he did not to show the people who lived and made the history of their times. If you created a picture to tell people your story — the history of you — what would you include? What would you leave out?
To learn more about the people in the mural, visit:
georgiamuseum.org/art-from-home/family-day-local-art-rosenbaum
To see images and video of the artist at work, visit:
https://tinyurl.com/yascrcta