About JAF . Judith on Nellie . Audio
Hear the unique and wonderful voices of both Nellie Mae Rowe and Judith Alexander in this short film in which Judith makes a hopeful and prescient prediction about the place of Nellie Mae Rowe in the history of art.
Frame from the film, Judith with a Rowe doll
This short film featuring Judith in her Atlanta gallery, talking about Nellie Mae Rowe and her artwork, was filmed in 1987 as part of a larger project, The Mind's Eye, which started with the documentation of Black Folk Art in America, 1930-1980, a traveling exhibition organized by the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
The film was edited by Zach Wolf and produced by The Foundation for Self-Taught American Artists and Breakaway Films, Inc.
Towards the end you will see many of the works that are now part of the permanent collection at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, thanks to Judith's 2003 gift that also established The Nellie Mae Rowe Gallery at that institution. Listen as she says, "What I really want is that my pieces that I love the most, I want them to be in a museum some day. Who knows? Nellie Mae Rowe may be considered high art one day."
Thank you to The Foundation for Self Taught and American Artists (Foundationstaart), for posting this video on YouTube.