the art of giving BLACK HISTORY AWARDS CELEBRATION RETURNS
early 1990s, Georgia State University in Atlanta recruited her as professor of African anthropology and founding director of African American Student Services and Programs, thereby sup- porting the retention, progression and graduation of hundreds of multicultural students. Sadly, Dr. Derby died the week of the awards ceremony, and Lois A. Richardson, president of the Atlanta (GA) Chapter of the Links, accepted it on her behalf, talking about the many people with whom Dr. Derby would have wanted to share the award, including her husband, Bob Banks, whose “love and support allowed her to soar to unimaginable heights.” Shawnya Harris, Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art, then present- ed the 2022 Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Award to Lou Stovall, preceded by a short video on his career that she created with Nathan Fleeson, a UGA religion doctoral student and her curatorial intern. She also thanked Stovall and his family for donating works of art to the museum’s collection. The Thompson Award honors African American artists who have made significant but often lesser-known contributions to the visual arts tradition and have roots in or major connec- tions to the state of Georgia. Stovall, a nationally renowned printmaker, was born in Athens, Georgia, although he grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts, and had not visited his birth - place in decades. He graduated from Howard University and, in 1968, opened a printmaking studio, the Workshop, Inc., where he innovated techniques in silkscreen printing. The thriving studio, which still exists, became the site for Stovall’s work for community poster printmaking and, later, collaborative projects with artists such as Jacob Lawrence, Josef Albers and Sam Gilliam. His work was on view in the exhibition “Lou Stovall: Of Land and Origins,” which attendees were able to experience in the museum’s galleries. Stovall talked about his many collaborations over the years and read some of his poetry, including “The Greening of the Art- ist,” which includes the lines “The ability to make something possible / is perhaps the greatest gift of all.” Brenda Thompson then spoke about the importance of printmaking to her and her husband’s collection and how Stovall’s prints resemble paintings. Deputy director Annelies Mondi then concluded the ceremonies, stepping in for director William U. Eiland, whose flight was delayed. She emphasized that the proceeds from the evening, which totaled more than $19,000, benefit the muse - um’s Endowment for the Study of African American Art, Artists and History and discussed the importance of creativity and learning and how the museum is a crucial part of the universi- ty’s overall mission. We thank all who contributed or attended and look forward to next year’s event.
Larry and Brenda Thompson with University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead.
After a year off in 2021, we were so delighted to return to our annual Black History Awards Celebration. Held April 1 at the museum, the event was limited to sponsors but filmed for those who were unable to attend.
University of Georgia president Jere Morehead welcomed ev- eryone to the ceremony, thanking Larry and Brenda Thompson in particular for their support of African American art at the university and the museum. Event chair Freda Scott Giles then led the audience in the first verse of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Shanna Jackson Sheats, president of the Athens (GA) Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, announced that the recipient of the 2022 Lillian C. Lynch Citation was Dr. Doris Derby. This award honors an African American leader who has made a signifi - cant contribution to black cultural education and service and is named in honor of a charter member of the Athens (GA) Chapter of the Links. Dr. Derby was born in New York City, where she painted and studied dance. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Hunter College and began teaching elementary school in New York. In the spring of 1963, she joined her fellow Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) members in organizing and participating in the 1963 March on Washington for jobs and freedom. She worked as a SNCC Field Secretary and educator in Mississippi, helped develop an adult literacy program at Tou- galoo College and participated in Black voter registration drives. She also co-founded the Free Southern Theater and developed her photography and documentary filmmaking skills. In the
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