Charles McGee (Detroit Portrait series)
Artist
Kurt Novak
(American)
Date2003 - 2005
MediumArchival pigment print on cotton rag paper
DimensionsPaper Size: 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm)
Frame Size: 22 1/2 × 26 1/2 in. (57.2 × 67.3 cm)
ClassificationsPhotograph
Object numberUAC6114
DescriptionCharles McGee grew up in Detroit during a time of colossal change. Coming from a rural farm in South Carolina, McGee’s life changed dramatically within the bustling city limits. With the backdrop of Detroit serving as creative inspiration, McGee was inspired to push the boundaries of artistic limitation. Classically trained in the arts by Guy Palazzola during art classes at the College for Creative Studies, he turned to abstraction as an artistic outlet creating organic and biomorphic shapes and curves and eschewing traditional narrative. After curating an exhibition titled Seven Black Artists and opening Gallery 7, an artist’s collective, McGee created the Charles McGee School of Art intended to encourage artistic expression for the youth of the community. In 1978, three years after the close of the Charles McGee School of Art, McGee and fellow artists founded the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit, a non-profit organization which sponsors exhibitions and performances of contemporary art and media in the Detroit area. McGee’s artistic work can be spotted across Detroit in places such as the Detroit People Mover Broadway station, at the Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital, and the Detroit Institute of Arts.“Life informs art … When [art] becomes part of the culture, we are all enriched.”
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