Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Louisiana artist Clyde Connell (1901 - 1998) in 3-woman exhibit at the Hilliard Museum, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Sept, 2012

"Three Women from Louisiana" is the working title for a 3-woman show slated for Sept 15 - Dec 22, at the Hilliard Museum, Univ of La at Lafayette.

The artists are Harriet Coulter Joor, Cora Kelley Ward, & Clyde Connell, says the Hilliard web site.

At the moment it is simply billed as an exhibit featuring "three women who lived their dream of becoming an artist."

But museum director Mark A Tullos, Jr, has written that "In the late 1980s I had an opportunity to spend an afternoon with celebrated Louisiana artist, Clyde Connell (1901 - 1998). Little would I have known then that her family would approach a museum I serve and offer to donate nearly 50 original works by Connell. The gift of artwork also came with a most generous cash gift to support care of the collection.

Our museum also received a tremendous gift of work, nearly 800 objects, by Eunice, Louisiana, native and mid-century New York abstract expressionist, Cora Kelley Ward (1920-1989), who worked within a circle of friends including renowned art critic and historian Clement Greenberg."

Joor (1875 - 1965) learned the art of pottery at Newcomb College, New Orleans, at the turn of the century. She spent a long career making and teaching pottery in places such as the Univ of Chicago and at ULL - then called USL.