Robert Bishop

Folk Art Exhibit Features Historic Woodcarvings By Elijah Pierce

The new exhibition Elijah Pierce: An American Journey at the Canton Museum of Art (CMA) celebrates the artwork of one of the most important self-taught, American folk artists of the 20th century: Elijah Pierce (1892 1984). Pierce was a prolific African American wood carver known for his brightly painted sculptural panels illustrating biblical stories, moral lessons, historical events, and images from popular culture a landscape of wood-carved art that is unlike any in America. This exhibit focuses on 39 major works. Featured in the exhibit is Pierce's most ambitious carving, Book of Wood (1932), consisting of seven panels with 33 scenes illustrating the years Christ lived on the earth, as well as works depicting segregation, the Vietnam War, Watergate, and Civil Rights, among others. This exhibition is on view November 24, 2017 - March 4, 2018 with a free public reception on Thursday, December 7, 2017 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.