Are you familiar with artist Alice Ravenel Huger Smith? She was a central figure in the Charleston Renaissance and she’s currently being honored by several special exhibitions.
Middleton Place National Historic Landmark and the Edmondston-Alston
House in downtown Charleston, SC have jointly mounted a special
exhibition of her works in connection with the launch of an accompanying book, “Alice: Alice Ravenel
Huger Smith, Charleston Renaissance Artist” published by Evening Post Books.
Opened on March 1, 2021 — and continuing through January 10, 2022
— the special exhibits correspond with the launch of the book and
allow the public the opportunity to see almost 40 works from private
and public collections of Alice Smith’s art featured in the book.
Alice Ravenel Huger Smith (1876–1958), immortalized the beauty and
history of the Carolina Lowcountry and helped propel the region into
an important destination for cultural tourism. In a career of sixty
years, she defied gender expectations and gained national acclaim.
“Alice” is a personal account of the artist’s life and work that
draws on unpublished papers, letters, and interviews, told from the
perspective of Dwight McInvaill, a close family friend and, her family
— Anne Tinker (Alice’s great-niece) and Caroline Palmer (Alice’s
great-great-niece).
There will be two other related exhibitions taking place this spring
and summer: one at the Gibbes Museum of Art (Japanese woodblock prints
and influence of them on Charleston artists, including Alice Ravenel
Huger Smith) which will run from April 30 – October 3, 2021 and an
exhibition at the Florence County Museum (Alice Ravenel Huger Smith)
which will run from June 15 – November 14, 2021.
Alice Ravenel Huger Smith was one of three artists highlighted in the March 2019 DIHS program “ExploringThe Charleston Renaissance” by our speaker, Mary Webb To see more on that meeting CLICK HERE
For more on the Charleston Renaissance from the South Carolina Encyclopedia CLICK HERE