HWC President's Gallery & Permanent Art Collection
The President's Gallery is a free exhibition space within Harold Washington College, committed to showing work from both the HWC community and Chicago artists.
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Artist: Eugene E. White (1933-2019)
Revolutionary artist Eugene E. White was not afraid to depict the truth regarding race. His work unabashedly celebrates Black culture and art while faithfully encapsulating Black history and Black lives. White’s legacy as a creative thinker captivates and inspires people not only in San Francisco but also all over the United States and the world.
In 1958, White ventured to San Francisco, where he opened his very first black-owned and independent gallery and an electronics store in 1962.
Ever since his debut, White has earned numerous accolades and significant recognition for his work. White’s art gave the African American / Black community validation and resolve. In all his work, White was able to portray the full range of black existence—particularly black excellence. In 1967 White became the first Black visual artist to display his work at the Monterey Bay Jazz Festival. In the 1970s his art was exhibited in the Chicago Black Expo, the Congress of African People’s first Black Art Festival, among many others.
From 1975–2012, White published a beautiful quarterly magazine called KUJIONA (meaning “to see oneself ” in Swahili).
In recognition of his many artistic contributions and his dedication to his community for well over 50 years, the San Francisco Art Appreciation Society honored White on July 11, 2013, and Mayor Ed Lee proclaimed that same day to be Eugene E. White Day in the city of San Francisco.
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