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Wilmer Jennings

Harangue

Maker

Wilmer Jennings (American, 1910-1990)

Title

Harangue

Year

1941

Medium

  • Wood engraving on paper

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Wood engraving on paper

Materials

wood engraving

Supports

  • Lightweight cream Oriental laid tissue

Dimensions

Image: 20.3 x 15.4 cm (8 x 6 1/16 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of the Artist

Object Number

81.094

Type

  • Prints

Publications

  • Books

Pressing On: The Graphic Art of Wilmer Jennings

The Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, is honored to present to the community this comprehensive exhibition of the graphic art of Wilmer Jennings. Pressing On: The Graphic Art of Wilmer Jennings is the first publication to examine a large body of work of Wilmer Jennings (American, 1910-90), who studied under Hale Woodruff while earning a degree from Morehouse College, Atlanta. Jennings then came to Rhode Island School of Design for further training as a jewelry designer, painter, and printmaker. He stayed in Rhode Island and designed jewelry for Imperial Pearl Company while continuing to work on his art. Jennings achieved artistic recognition primarily for his intimate wood engravings. He represents the third generation of African American artists active in the state.
"This is the first comprehensive presentation of the artist's prints. It provides insight into the ethos and experience of African Americans who, like Jennings, had migrated from the South to the North in search of greater freedom and opportunity. His art expands the repertoire of images depicting participation of African American people in the American scene." -- Claude L. Ellliot.

Exhibition History

Urban America, 1930-1970
Dec 01, 2006 – Feb 25, 2007

Label copy

Jennings moved to Providence from Atlanta in 1935 and was one of the first African Americans to matriculate at RISD. Primarily a printmaker, much of his work comments on the effect of urban development on the African American community. This wood engraving depicts Black workers in the North as they listen to a speaker. Based on the evidence of other similar compositions by the artist, it is likely that the subject of the speech is labor rights, such as equal pay and benefits for Black Americans.

Pressing On
The Graphic Work of Wilmer Jemmings
Sep 29, 2000 – Jan 07, 2001
Gifts from the Rhode Island Foundation
Jan 06, 1989 – Feb 26, 1989

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

In copyright This object is in copyright

Tombstone

Wilmer Jennings (American, 1910-1990)
Harangue, 1941
Wood engraving on paper
Image: 20.3 x 15.4 cm (8 x 6 1/16 inches)
Gift of the Artist 81.094

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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