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The Art of William O. Golding: Hard Knocks, Hardships, and Lots of Experience

April 1 to August 28, 2022 Jepson Center
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FREE JEPSON CENTER & TELFAIR ACADEMY ADMISSION FOR LOCALS* EACH WEEKEND THROUGH AUG 28!

*Includes residents of Chatham, Bryan, Effingham, Liberty, Beaufort, & Jasper Counties
Telfair Museums presents the first large museum survey of the work of William O. Golding (1874-1943), an African American seaman and artist who recorded a half-century of maritime experience in more than one hundred vibrant drawings. In the 1930s, Golding was a patient at the United States Marine Hospital in Savannah, where he represented his experiences in expressive pencil and crayon drawings which combine memory, imagination, and sailors’ lore. 72 works will be exhibited, including 23 drawings from Telfair Museums’ permanent collection, and others from the Morris Museum of Art, The Georgia Museum of Art, and private collections. The exhibition will be accompanied by a richly illustrated catalog, the first devoted to this significant American artist.
(March 31, 2022) Telfair Museums presents the first large museum survey of the work of William O. Golding (1874-1943), an African American seaman and artist who recorded a half-century of maritime experience in more than one hundred vibrant drawings. In the 1930s, Golding was a patient at the United States Marine Hospital in Savannah, where he represented his experiences in expressive pencil and crayon drawings which combine memory, imagination, and sailors’ lore. 72 works will be exhibited, including 23 drawings from Telfair Museums’ permanent collection, and others from the Morris Museum of Art, The Georgia Museum of Art, and private collections. The exhibition will be accompanied by a richly illustrated catalog, the first devoted to this significant American artist.
  • View image 1 in lightbox:

    William O. Golding (American 1874-1943), Saigon, China, Under French Protection, 1934 Pencil and crayon on paper, 8 ½ x 12 in., Telfair Museums, Museum purchase with funds provided by the Gari Melchers Collectors’ Society, 2013.3.1

  • View image 2 in lightbox:

    William O. Golding (American 1874-1943), Canton, China, 1935 Pencil and crayon on paper, 8 5 /8 x 1113 /16 in., Telfair Museums, Museum purchase with Telfair Museum of Art acquisitions endowment funds, 2020.8.2

  • View image 3 in lightbox:

    William O. Golding (American 1874-1943), Whaler Petrel Chasing Whales in the Artic Ocean, 1933 Pencil and crayon on paper, 8 5/8 x 1113/16 in. Telfair Museums, Museum purchase with Telfair Museum of Art acquisitions endowment funds, 2020.8.15

  • View image 4 in lightbox:

    William O. Golding (American 1874-1943), Tug William F. McAuley, Atlantic Towing Co., Sav, GA, 1934 Pencil and crayon on paper, 9 x 12 in., Telfair Museums, Museum purchase, 2009.23

  • View image 5 in lightbox:

    William O. Golding (American 1874-1943), U.S.S. Constellation, 1933 Pencil and crayon on paper 9 x 11 15/16 in. Telfair Museums, Museum purchase with funds provided by the Gari Melchers Collectors’ Society, 2013.3.2

  • View image 6 in lightbox:

    William O. Golding (American 1874-1943), Cape Horn, 1933 Pencil and crayon on paper, 9 x 12 in., Telfair Museums, Gift of Mrs. Frank Hollowbush and Mrs. Julianna F. Waring by exchange, 2021.14.2

'The Art of William O. Golding' Opening Lecture

(March 31, 2022) Telfair opens the largest exhibition to date devoted to William O. Golding, an African American seaman who made memory drawings of ships and ports while in Savannah’s Marine Hospital during the 1930s. Learn more about the artist with Harry DeLorme, curator of the exhibition, Ahmauri Williams-Alford, assistant curator of historical interpretation and programs, and Jacquelyn Cox-Crite, great-grand niece of the artist. The exhibition will be accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue, the first devoted to this significant American artist.
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'The Art of William O. Golding' Opening Lecture

(March 31, 2022) Telfair opens the largest exhibition to date devoted to William O. Golding, an African American seaman who made memory drawings of ships and ports while in Savannah’s Marine Hospital during the 1930s. Learn more about the artist with Harry DeLorme, curator of the exhibition, Ahmauri Williams-Alford, assistant curator of historical interpretation and programs, and Jacquelyn Cox-Crite, great-grand niece of the artist. The exhibition will be accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue, the first devoted to this significant American artist.

The Art of William O. Golding: Hard Knocks, Hardships and Lots of Experience is organized by Telfair Museums and curated by Harry H. DeLorme, director of education and senior curator.

Exhibition support is provided by Inge Brasseler and a special grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Telfair Museums