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Postednon September 22, 2016
Postednon September 22, 2016n
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nBornnin Georgia on this date in 1891, Alma Thomas spent most of her adultnlife teaching kids. n
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nButnshe had a solo exhibit as a painter at the highly respected WhitneynMuseum of American Art (the first African American woman to do so), and currently one of her paintings hangs innthe White House.
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nHowndo you connect THOSE dots?
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nAlmanThomas was always “into” art, even as a kid. So although she first studied teaching and launched into a career as a teacher, she also studied art at several universities,nearning a BS in Fine Arts and an MA in Art Education. She visited artnteaching centers in Europe, and she did the hard work of makingnoriginal art.
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nMorencommendable than all of that, even, Thomas worked to make art a partnof her students’ lives. She started a communitynarts program, and she encouraged kids to appreciate fine art. Shenhelped kids make marionettes and perform with them, and she had themndesign holiday cards that could be given to soldiers.
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nThomas became a part of the Color Field movement, and she got positive reviews for hernminimalist Color Field paintings. Her works were exhibited in several different museums and galleries during her life, and she has been called “under-appreciated” by some art critics. In 2009, about three decades afternher death, First Lady Michelle Obama chose these two Alma Thomas paintings to be displayed in the White House:
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nArtncritic Holland Cotter said that Thomas’s work was perfect for thenObama administration, because it was “forward-looking without being radical; post-racial but also race-conscious.”
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nIf I were able to choose an Alma Thomas painting for my home, I might choose one of these:
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| Autumn Leaves Fluttering in the Breeze |
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| Eclipse |
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| Splash Down |
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nAlsonon this date:
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Independence Day in Bulgaria
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nMabon in the Northern Hemisphere
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Independence Day in Bulgaria n
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nMabon in the Northern Hemisphere
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nAutumnnbegins with the equinox in the Northern Hemisphere
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nIndependencenDay in Mali
nIndependencenDay in Mali
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nDearnDiary Day
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nHobbitnDay
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nCar-FreeDay
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nElephantnAppreciation Day
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nAnniversarynof the Peace of Basel in Switzerland
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nPlannahead:
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Checknout my Pinterest boards for:
Checknout my Pinterest boards for:
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n Septembern holidays
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n Septembern birthdays
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nn Historicaln anniversaries in September
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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- Octobernholidays
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