HYBRID IN-PERSON AND ONLINE PROGRAM

The Hue of Haints: Collective Memory and Cultural Resistance

Charlotte Gaillet, Curatorial Assistant in the American Painting & Sculpture/Decorative Arts department at the Baltimore Museum of Art

Reception 1:00 - 1:30 pm 

In both 2022 and 2024, Southern Living magazine published articles promoting haint blue as the quintessential color for painting porch ceilings and exterior architecture in the American South. These articles largely glossed over the complex history of the color, remarking that “no matter its [haint blue] origins or bug-zapping abilities, it is a gorgeous hue and a staple for Southern porches.” Building on the exploration of spirituality in contemporary art initiated by the exhibition NeoHooDoo: Art for a Forgotten Faith (2007), this presentation examines recent interpretations of Gullah Geechee traditions, analyzing how, over the past twenty-five years, artists have employed haint blue to engage with themes of faith, cultural memory, and oral tradition.

$15 fee for guests and subscribers (no fee for members)