SOUTH CAROLINA: Museum Offers Free Online Exhibit of Female Civil War-Era Artist
The South Carolina State Museum unveiled a new exhibit Saturday, which will be available free online, featuring the work of Addie Sims, a South Carolina artist who worked during the Civil War era.
Addie Sims was a female artist who produced beautiful paintings and a sculpture depicting the people and places around her South Carolina plantation.
“The Art and Life of Addie Sims: A Look into Her World” features original paintings by Sims, which tell the story of her struggles to pursue a career in art despite the social barriers of her time and the war.
“Women artists were rare for that time, so that makes this art important, especially for South Carolina,” said JoAnn Zeise, curator of history at the State Museum. “Her story is also intriguing because she passionately wanted to be an artist rather than follow the traditional path for antebellum Southern women. I am excited to introduce the world to the great talent of this previously unknown artist.”
Sims’ paintings portray real-life slaves on her father’s plantations, and Zeise said her work is unusual in that the portraits are real, not caricatures or idealized versions of black life as often portrayed by white artists of the period. Sims also painted landscapes and carved small figures and cameos from a local rock called soapstone.
Reverend Tommy Sims, a descendant of Addie Sims, spoke at Saturday’s opening receptions, and other relatives of the artist also attended.
The paintings were on physical display Saturday only at the museum and then were placed in storage for preservation. The virtual exhibit is accessible now and is free to all.
-coladaily.com
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