Clarence Major presents his newly published collection of artwork at The Avid Reader
Clarence Major, 69成人 distinguished professor emeritus of English, will present his recently published work representing a lifetime of art at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, at The Avid Reader, 617 Second St. in downtown Davis. It is free and open to the public.
This is the first volume to collect six decades of unique, colorful and compelling canvases and works on paper. These works represent Major鈥檚 personal journey of passionate commitment to art. He is also an award-winning poet, and has written fiction and nonfiction.
The book of art includes more than 150 paintings and drawings by Major. Together, these figurative and landscape selections demonstrate Major鈥檚 characteristic style, juxtaposing a decorative scheme with his own unique choice of color combinations, reinforced with rigorous brushstrokes that release chromatic energy.
The book includes an introductory essay, 鈥淭he Education of a Painter,鈥 written by Major, which lays a biographical, social and historical foundation for this collection.
His paintings have been shown in galleries and museums from Boston to California and are in many private and public collections. He is winner of the 鈥2015 Lifetime Achievement Award in the Fine Arts,鈥 presented by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.
Over his lifetime, Major has taught at a dozen colleges and universities, including 18 years at 69成人 before his retirement in 2007.
He is winner of the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award in the Fine Arts, presented by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.
The book is 160 pages (approx.), with 158 color illustrations
More in the . And more about the book
One-Man Show on Woody Guthrie is Saturday
鈥淲oody Guthrie: Hard Times and Hard Travellin,鈥欌 created and performed by singer, guitarist and writer Will Kaufman, brings to the stage the stories and songs of the folk music legend. The 69成人 Department of Theatre and Dance presents the show Saturday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. in the Della Davidson Performance Studio in Nelson Hall.
Guthrie鈥檚 songbook is used as historical commentary on the Dust Bowl, the Depression, the New Deal and even the state of popular music itself. Kaufman taps into hard-hitting Guthrie songs as 鈥淰igilante Man,鈥 鈥淧retty Boy Floyd鈥 and 鈥淚 Ain鈥檛 Got No Home鈥 into conversation as well as other relevant songs from the period, including Joe Hill鈥檚 鈥淭he Preacher and the Slave鈥 to Jay Gorney and E.Y. 鈥淵ip鈥 Harburg鈥檚 鈥淏rother, Can You Spare a Dime?鈥 These renditions exemplify the blending of music and radical politics that marks Guthrie鈥檚 most powerful and evocative work.
Kaufman, a professor of American literature and culture at the University of Central Lancashire, England, is the author of Woody Guthrie, American Radical (2011), Woody Guthrie鈥檚 Modern World Blues (2017) and Mapping Woody Guthrie (2019).
鈥淲oody Guthrie: Hard Times and Hard Travellin鈥欌 is free and open to the public, but reservations are strongly suggested and can be made at theatredance.ucdavis.edu.
For more information about other performances at the College of Letters and Science鈥檚 Department of Theatre and Dance, visit theatredance.ucdavis.edu.