An Evening With Jonathan Green: Reception + Book Release

Jonathan Green is considered one of the nation’s most important living painters of the southern experience. Join us for an intimate evening with the acclaimed artist and celebrate the release of his newest book, Gullah Spirit: The Art of Jonathan Green. This festive kick-off to the holiday season includes wine, gourmet savories and sweets.

Signed copies of Gullah Spirit and his first book, Gullah Images, will be available for purchase as a gift to yourself or others.

"With this book, Jonathan Green continues to be the authoritative herald of Gullah visual arts. With his unique aesthetic sensibility, bold fashion designs, and vibrant colors, Green uses scenes from daily life to deftly explore Gullah culture, family, community, and deep spirituality. The result is simultaneously a gorgeous work of art and compelling memoir."

— Bernard Powers, professor emeritus of history and founding director of the Center for the Study of Slavery at the College of Charleston

Acclaimed for his vibrant depictions of everyday life in the Lowcountry, Green – who grew up in Garden's Corner, South Carolina – graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1982. He has received honorary doctorate degrees from both University of South Carolina and Coastal Carolina University for capturing and recording Southern culture and history.

While his appeal and perspective are truly modern and cosmopolitan, Green looks to the familiar images of his ancestral home for the subjects of his paintings. It's through his narrative style that Green captures and records the rich cultural heritage of the Gullah community in which he was raised.

The celebrated artist designed the sets and costumes for Spoleto's 2016 production of Porgy & Bess and his work has also served as a catalyst for other art forms. "Off the Wall & Onto the Stage: Dancing the Art of Jonathan Green," produced by the Columbia City Ballet of South Carolina, brings music, dance and twenty-two of Green’s paintings together in a powerful return to the elements of classical ballet. In addition, his paintings have been included in publications addressing American and African-American history, literature, food-ways, visual arts, and healthcare.

Green's work has been embraced by collectors and critics throughout the world and can be found in private as well as major museum collections in the US, Japan, Germany, and Sierra Leone. Currently, Green resides and paints in Charleston.

Learn more about works by the artist in our collection:

Gullah Spirit: The Art of Jonathan Green is published by the University of South Carolina Press.