Leroy Campbell – A Gullah Collection

Leroy Campbell, artist, has been capturing scenes from black life for over 20 years in portraits that are at once charming, witty and touching. From the trademark torn edges that evoke a strong sense of nostalgia to the vibrant, eye catching colors, Campbell’s art has been featured in such hit television programs as “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “The Cosby Show.” This Friday, Campbell will present his newest collection, The Newspaper Series, at the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture.

The Newspaper Series is based off of the traditions of SouthCarolina’s Gullah population, who warded off malicious spirits by papering the walls of their houses with newsprint. To that end, each piece in the collection features Campbell’s silhouetted subjects against a backdrop of newspaper. Each article intentionally transports the reader to several historic events in the African American community, most recently the 2008 presidential election.

“The pieces in the series are particularly relevant to our center’s mission and aligned with our connection to Sankofa ­- the African concept of reaching back and gathering the best of what our past has taught us in order to reach our full potential as we move forward,” said Chandra Guinn, director of the Mary Lou Williams Center, in a press release.

After the unveiling, the works will join the center’s permanent collection.

Leroy Campbell will present The Newspaper Series and give short talk Friday April 17 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Mary Lou Williams Center.

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Bin Yah: There’s No Place Like Home is a documentary for sale on this website: presented by Justin Nathanson and The ChasDOC Film Society, the film explores the potential loss of important historic African American communities in Mt. Pleasant, S.C due to growth and development. Through the testimonies of the residents themselves, the film explores the culture, the history, the importance of land and the concept of home, giving a voice to those who seldom have had a chance to be heard.

A proposed highway extension threatens to bisect these close-knit neighborhoods of cousins and kinfolk, established by freed slaves and home to generations of their families for hundreds of years. Many residents are artisans and craftspeople, practicing traditional skills including sweetgrass basketmaking, brought over from West Africa and handed down from mothers and fathers to sons and daughters. Today, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina is the primary place in the U.S. where this grass is harvested and “sewn” into this particular type of basket.

Bin Yah will attempt to preserve – at least on film – the memories of the special places that may be lost forever as the struggle between the real “bin yahs” and the “come yahs” escalates.