Art Changes Things: the Art and Activism of Georgette Seabrooke Powell exhibition records

Scope and Contents

The collection Art Changes Things: the Art and Activism of Georgette Seabrooke Powell documents the personal and professional life of Powell, as well as the exhibit planning for her solo exhibition at the Anacostia Museum. The collection contains material related to her participation in the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Arts Project, and her lifelong pursuit of art as a vehicle for change.

The collection's research files containing Georgette Seabrooke Powell's student thesis while attending Cooper Union in New York City, and information highlighting her journey as an artist. The correspondence includes meeting minutes, agendas, notes, lists, proposals, schedules, evaluations, and correspondence to internal museum staff, as well as others outside of organization compiled during the planning and execution of exhibit.

The exhibit files include outlines for exhibit themes and proposed layouts, floorplans, gallery wall elevations, schedules, photocopies of images, extensive text drafts of exhibit scripts, drafts of the exhibit's text include notes throughout multiple editing stages, and lists of exhibit artifacts.

There are various printed materials consisting primarily of brochures, invitations, newspaper and newsletter clippings which highlight the career of Powell.

The photographic materials include prints in black and white and color, contact sheets, polaroids, negatives and a binder, which depict images of Georgette Seabrooke Powell and her artwork throughout the years. The collection also documents the planning and execution of the exhibit.

Also included are audiovisual materials related to the exhibit, including video featured in the exhibition, recordings of exhibit tours, and an interview with Mrs. Powell.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into six main categories:

Series 1: Research Files

Series 2: Correspondence

Series 3: Exhibit Files

Series 4: Printed Materials

Series 5: Photographic Material

Series 6: Audiovisual Materials

Biographical / Historical

Born Georgette Ernestine Seabrooke on August 2, 1916, in Charleston, South Carolina, her family migrated from the south to New York City in 1920 seeking better opportunities. The family settled in the Yorkville neighborhood. After graduating from the Washington Irving School, which at that time was the only school for girls majoring in the arts, her educational path led her to the Cooper Union School of Art in New York City in 1933. At Cooper Union she refined her talents and thrived under her instructor, artist John Steuart Curry. And she would later earn the Silver Medal for her painting of St. Marks church, entitled "Church Scene" while at Cooper Union.

Throughout her journey Powell actively participated in the Harlem Workshops led by James Lesesne Wells, alongside other notable African American artists, such as Palmer Hayden and Jacob Lawrence. She was encouraged by the artist, Augusta Savage to participate in the Works Progress Administration (WPA), Federal Arts Project. As the youngest artist participating in WPA, she garnered acclaim for her project, "Recreation in Harlem" a mural at the Harlem Hospital in the nurse's pavilion. This mural is revered for its portrayal of life in the Harlem community and stands as one of her most prominent achievements.

In later years Powell relocated to Washington, D.C. with her husband Dr. George Wesley Powell and their three children, where she continued to impact the arts. In 1966, she created "Art in the Park", an annual event held in Malcom X Park in Northwest DC. She founded the Operation Heritage Art Center to provide community art programming in 1969, later its name was changed to Tomorrow's World Art Center. The organization utilized the arts as a vehicle to empower and support young artists in the community. A common theme throughout Powell's life was empowering youth through the arts, community, and social activism. She was an active member of the District of Columbia Art Association from 1974 through 1998 and served as its President in 1989. The Anacostia Museum held a solo exhibition for her entitled "Art Changes Things: The Art and Activism of Georgette Seabrook Powell" in 1995, which featured many of her paintings depicting the family theme, as it relates to life, church and community.

Her legacy encompasses not only her artistic portfolio but also her pioneering work, in art therapy. Beyond painting Powell was a trailblazer in art therapy using her skills to aid others in healing and self-expression. In 2008, she received the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) Pioneer award for lifetime achievement from George Washington University. Powell's commitment to nurturing creativity and promoting healing through art has made an impression motivating artists for years to come.

American artist and art therapist, Georgette Seabrooke Powell (1916-2011), made significant impacts using the arts as an agency for healing underserved communities, and nurtured a profound love for both creating art and teaching it throughout her life. She passed away on December 27, 2011, in Palm Coast, Florida.