Celebrating the culture
An exhibition that celebrates the rich culture and history of the Gullah Geechee people through the lens of portraiture is featured at the Coastal Discovery Museum on Hilton Head Island.
“Binya: Faces ob de Gullah Geechee,” which is open through July 9, features more than 50 portraits and related objects, from the late 1920s to the present.
Drawn from the museum’s and numerous private collections, featured artists include Sam Doyle, Jonathan Green, Winold Reiss, Walter Greer, Charles Edward Williams, Natalie Daise, Johnnie Simmons, Anthony Johnson, Doug Corkern, Curtis Phillips, Louanne LaRoche, Judy Mooney, Nancey B. Price, Roger Manley, Amiri Farris, Camden Bernstein and Lisa Rivers.
The Gullah Geechee people have a deep history and connection to the Lowcountry. They are descendants of enslaved Africans brought to the area to work on rice, indigo, and cotton plantations in the 18th and 19th centuries. Despite facing numerous challenges, including slavery, segregation, and discrimination, the Gullah Geechee people have maintained a strong sense of community and a unique cultural identity.
As co-curator Angela Dore notes, “Many of us identify with the culture in terms of the sense of place that we have from our family roots being here and being raised within the corridor. Many of us remain actively engaged with the cultural practices, and others identify with the culture because of their lineage.
“For example, their parents or grandparents may have grown up within the corridor and passed the dialect, spiritual beliefs, and foodways down to them. We still cook like our grandmothers did. We remember the stories, values, and lessons that our elders taught us, and we teach those things to our children.”
One of the exhibit’s goals is to spark conversations about what it means to be Gullah Geechee and how the culture can be preserved and celebrated for future generations. The exhibit features portraits of different generations, highlighting their connections and differences. The Gullah Geechee culture is alive and well, thanks to the elders who have preserved their language and way of life, but its future also depends on its youth.
Portraiture has long been used to honor and recognize important individuals in society, while providing a visual remembrance for present and future generations. In Western traditions of art and society, wealthy individuals have often had portraits painted to create this facade.
However, as the “Binya” exhibit demonstrates, the Gullah Geechee people have not needed to purchase their place of honor. Through their resilience and perseverance, they have maintained a unique culture that invites recognition and celebration. As part of the exhibition development, the Coastal Discovery Museum purchased or commissioned five new portraits of significant local community members, both past and present. Native Hilton Head Islanders Emory Campbell, Louise Cohen, and Alex Brown; renowned St. Helena cast net sewer Joe Legree; and iconic Beaufortonian Robert Smalls.
The exhibition is curated by Elizabeth Greenberg, Director of Exhibitions at the Coastal Discovery Museum, and Angela Dore, Research Coordinator for the Wilson Center for Humanities and Arts at the University of Georgia.
A free exhibition tour is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, May 6. An evening event will be held on June 2 focusing on music, fashion, food, and fun.
For more information, go online at coastaldiscovery.org.
