WETA Arts

WETA Arts February 2023: Alma Thomas

WETA Arts celebrates Black History Month with a special episode about Alma Thomas, the remarkable Black artist and educator who helped shape the Washington, D.C. arts scene in the 20th century. Thomas’ art provided her nationwide acclaim. Yet even as her national recognition continues, it’s in her hometown where her impact as an educator, pioneer, advocate and role model can be felt daily.

WETA Arts February 2023: Alma Thomas

28m 53s

WETA Arts celebrates Black History Month with a special episode about Alma Thomas, the remarkable Black artist and educator who helped shape the Washington, D.C. arts scene in the 20th century. Thomas’ art provided her nationwide acclaim. Yet even as her national recognition continues, it’s in her hometown where her impact as an educator, pioneer, advocate and role model can be felt daily.

Alma Thomas is celebrated in Washington DC in all sorts of ways.

Major Arts Institutions in Washington

“Alma Thomas: Everything is Beautiful”

“Alma Thomas: Everything is Beautiful” is a city-wide series of programs and exhibits to honor Alma Thomas, which will continue through 2024. It’s spearheaded by the Phillips Collection and in conjunction with a major exhibit co-created by the Columbus Museum in Georgia and the Chrysler Museum of Art. The Phillips has a work from Alma Thomas’ Earth Series; check the Phillips’ website to see if it is on view. 

National Gallery of Art

As part of the multi-institution event, the National Gallery of Art hosted a major conference on Thomas. Check out the recordings, including an introduction to the proceedings by Michele Obama. National Gallery has a number of Thomas works – check to see which are on view.

Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, another host of programming related to the coordinated event, has a number of works by Thomas, as well as many works from other Washington Color School artists.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts

The National Museum of Women in the Arts is expected to reopen to the public in fall, 2023, but you can view its Alma Thomas works at at their website.

Around Town

DC Public Library

As part of the multi-institution event, the DC Public Library is displaying some of its Alma Thomas works in an exhibit called Alma Thomas: Life is Color on the 2nd floor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Library; it runs through 2024. The Library named its Teen Reading Room in honor of Alma Thomas. They’ve also created a heritage tour inspired by Thomas’s life, check here for details.

The Call Box Restoration Project

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities funds the Call Box Restoration Project, and at 13th and G St. NW on the northeast corner, you can find a call box dedicated to Alma Thomas.

Mount Rainier Post Office Mural

There’s a mural tribute to Alma Thomas on the wall of the second floor of the Mount Rainier Post Office at 3709 Rhode Island Ave. It’s on the east side.

Did you know?

Alma Thomas didn’t just start painting after she retired from teaching; she was painting for at least a decade before she retired.

Alma Thomas’s mom sewed some of the costumes for the Howard University Players.

Alma Thomas’s friend, the painter Sam Gilliam, said she always had a good bottle of scotch.

Image
Alma Thomas marker

Alma Thomas herself misstated how many years she taught at Shaw Junior High School, and several original documents get it wrong too. If you pull her start date and retirement date, you’ll find out she taught for 35 years.

The building she started teaching at isn’t the building she retired from.

The first Shaw Junior High school was at Ninth Street and Rhode Island Avenue. Shaw Junior High School moved to Seventh and Rhode Island Avenue in 1928. It is now Asbury Dwellings, a senior citizen housing complex.

Alma Thomas liked to listen to music while painting. One of her paintings, Watusi (Hard Edge), is named after The Watusi by The Vibrations. She also liked Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today) by The Temptations, and Everything is Beautiful by Ray Stevens. It’s this last song that inspired the name of the Columbus Museum/Chrysler Museum’s travelling exhibit.   

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    Preview: WETA Arts February 2023: Alma Thomas

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    WETA Arts celebrates Black History Month with a special episode about Alma Thomas, the remarkable Black artist and educator who helped shape the Washington, D.C. arts scene in the 20th century. Thomas’ art provided her nationwide acclaim. Yet even as her national recognition continues, it’s in her hometown where her impact as an educator, pioneer, advocate and role model can be felt daily.

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