Above / Naperville Fine Art Center & Gallery is located on the corner of 508 N. Center Street at Fifth Avenue.
Two talented women met in 1929 and began a collaborative effort that reached into the next century. Doris Ulmann, a master portrait photographer, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Julie Peterkin produced a book called Roll, Jordan, Roll, a dignified portrayal of plantation life in the Gullah region of South Carolina. The book of photographs and essays was published in 1933 by Robert O. Ballou.
A rare opportunity to see 80 of Ulmann’s photogravure portraits, developed from the originals and used in the book, will take place April 7 through 11 at the Naperville Fine Art Center & Gallery, on the corner of 5th Avenue at 508 N. Center St.
Free exhibit April 7-11, public welcome to reception 2-4PM Sun., April 9
Special gallery hours will be 10AM to 5PM each day except Sunday. On Sunday, the gallery will be open from noon to 4PM with a reception from 2 to 4PM.
The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.
“A face that has the marks of having lived intensely, that expresses some phase of life, some dominant quality of intellectual power, constitutes for me an interesting face,” photographer Ulmann stated.
Ullman often included the subjects’ hands in her portraits along with something that showed their role. The expectation is that viewers will be drawn to the images. While photography is not allowed at the exhibit, artists may want to bring their sketchbooks.
Ulmann once told a friend “my great wish is that these human records serve some social purpose.”
Naperville Art League, host of the exhibit hopes the exhibit contributes to art appreciation in the community, serves to educate, and generates discussion.
“To be able to step back in time and see people who played a role in our nation’s foundation is enthralling,” said Debbie Venezia, the League’s Executive Director. “Although copies of the book in which the images first appeared are rare, an eBook is available,” she continued. “Through photos and words the people become more real.”
Brief Bio of Doris Ulmann
Born in 1882 to a wealthy family in New York City, Ulmann’s early work was of doctors and writers, who would pose in her Manhattan apartment. Her interest changed to “vanishing types,” those she sensed history might forget. She traveled to rural Appalachia and to the lowlands of South Carolina, often spending lengthy sessions with each subject, then returning to New York to process images before setting out again. She died in 1934, shortly after the book was published.
Her photographic method was a heavy view camera that was cumbersome to set up. She would remove the lens cap by hand to allow light to reach the film. Exposures were made on glass plates. The images in this exhibit are photogravures, a type of intaglio printing which involves engraving onto an image carrier cylinder. Today, Ulmann’s work is in universities, museums including the Smithsonian, and private collections.
Thanks for supporting the arts!
Naperville Art League is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization, whose members are dedicated to educating, promoting, and supporting the visual arts. The League offers art classes, gallery shows and a gift shop throughout the year, and hosts Naperville’s annual outdoor Riverwalk Fine Art Fair held in downtown Naperville each September. Membership and class information are available at the Naperville Fine Art Center & Gallery or by visiting www.napervilleartleague.com.
For more information about the Doris Ulmann exhibit or to arrange group visits, call (630) 355-2530.
Story and photos submitted by Linda VanderKolk for the Naperville Art League.
