See inspiration for Angelou’s poetry at historic Overtown rooming house
See inspiration for Angelou’s poetry at historic Overtown rooming house
JULY 17, 2019
Tucked into the Miami neighborhood of Overtown is the Historic Ward Rooming House. It was where blacks and Native Americans could stay, and sleep safely, during the segregation era.
It is fitting that Historic Ward Rooming House, a restored and historically designated building, should serve as the gallery for art that once lined the walls of Maya Angelou’s home.
Angelou, acclaimed American poet, storyteller, activist and autobiographer, was born three years after Shaddrack and Victoria Ward built the Ward Rooming House in 1925. Angelou died in 2014.
Now you can see some of the inspiration for her poetry at “The Art of a Caged Bird Singing: The Personal Art Collection of Maya Angelou,” open until Sept. 3. The event is presented by Hampton Art Lovers.
One highlight of the exhibit is drawings and paintings by artist Tom Feelings, a friend of Angelou’s for many years. His work is lovingly inscribed for her.
The gallery also includes an exhibit of the photographs of Brooklyn’s Phillip Shung, who has traveled extensively to discover “connections across the French colonies and the human capital that was plundered in the creation of the Francophone world.”
“Hampton Art Lovers is honored to showcase the artwork that adorned Maya Angelou’s home and inspired her poetry, including ‘Langston Hughes: Sunrise is Coming After Awhile, Poems Selected by Maya Angelou’ Silkscreens by Phoebe Beasley,” said Darryl Neverson, co-founder of Hampton Art Lovers.
“And what a treat to be able to add in the works of photographer Phillip Shung. The French colonial influence is explored through the lens of the exceptional eye of Shung. Art aficionados will see how Senegal, Haiti and New Orleans share a culture, people, and food that are connected in distinct ways.”
Shung’s exhibit is titled “FrancoFiles, Code Noir: A Visual Exploration of Negritude in New Orleans, Haiti and Senegal.”
Sponsor of the show is the Southeast Overtown Park West Community Redevelopment Agency. Neil Shriver, SEOPW CRA executive director, said, “this exhibit is a preview of Overtown once again becoming a global destination of unique culture, history, and entertainment.”
The gallery also includes an exhibit of the photographs of Brooklyn’s Phillip Shung, who has traveled extensively to discover “connections across the French colonies and the human capital that was plundered in the creation of the Francophone world.”
“Hampton Art Lovers is honored to showcase the artwork that adorned Maya Angelou’s home and inspired her poetry, including ‘Langston Hughes: Sunrise is Coming After Awhile, Poems Selected by Maya Angelou’ Silkscreens by Phoebe Beasley,” said Darryl Neverson, co-founder of Hampton Art Lovers.
“And what a treat to be able to add in the works of photographer Phillip Shung. The French colonial influence is explored through the lens of the exceptional eye of Shung. Art aficionados will see how Senegal, Haiti and New Orleans share a culture, people, and food that are connected in distinct ways.”
Shung’s exhibit is titled “FrancoFiles, Code Noir: A Visual Exploration of Negritude in New Orleans, Haiti and Senegal.”
Sponsor of the show is the Southeast Overtown Park West Community Redevelopment Agency. Neil Shriver, SEOPW CRA executive director, said, “this exhibit is a preview of Overtown once again becoming a global destination of unique culture, history, and entertainment.”
Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article232807937.html#storylink=cpy