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Art by Carol White
| Carol White and Dr. Henry O. Sawyerr Reception at Birmingham Civil Rights Institute with Carol White painting "Lighting the Way to Freedom", 2003 Acrylic on Canvas Collection of the Birmingham Civil Rights Insititute |
| WE ARE ONE Gouache on Paper, 2000 |
| When Carol White and Dr. Henry Sawyerr met in 1999, they had no idea that their paths would not only cross again, but develop into a three-year, artistic partnership in which their creative ideas would be shared and articulated in a unique exhibition entitled Beyond Borders, Across Oceans: Two Continents. Although Dr. Sawyerr is an environmental scientist by trade, over the years he wrote over one hundred poems. His work had never been shared with anyone except his wife, to whom several of the poems were written. At an informal dinner, Dr. Sawyerr looked at some of Ms. White's work and commented about how much her work reminded him of the poems he had kept hidden for so many years. The two later compared the written and visual work and found similarities in messages, stories and symbolism in the poetry and some of Ms. White's earlier paintings. After reading most of the poems, Ms. White suggested that a collaborative exhibition be created that would feature both the written and visual works that would address the lost connection between African Americans and continental Africans. Carol White received a Creative Renewal Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis to continue the dialogue, conduct research for the exhibition and complete 25 paintings in response to the poetry. Her exploration and research focused on responding to the poetry from the perspective of an African American woman who had experienced cultural and language barriers as a result of a visit to a French speaking country in West Africa. Dr. Sawyerr had experienced some of the same challenges while studying Environmental Science in Warsaw, Poland. The discussions between both artists resulted in a unique exhibition of twenty-five paintings - with selected corresponding poems that were later exhibited in Birmingham, Alabama at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute as well as being installed at the Martin Luther King Jr., Multi-Service Center, Legacy Gallery in Indianapolis, Indiana. Below are a few of the images Carol White painted to accompany Dr. Sawyerr's poems. The painting, "We Are One" was selected as a signature work for the exhibition and archival prints were produced to accompany the exhibition. |
| Between Reality and Fantasy Gouache on Paper, 2001 |
| Imagining the Future Gouache on Paper, 2001 |
| Beyond the Wall Gouache on Paper, 2001 |
| Our Lives are on the Table Gouache on Paper, 2001 |
| Reflections of You Gouache on Paper, 2002 |
| The Power of Two Gouache on Paper, 2001 |
| The Color and Shape of Love Gouache on Paper, 2001 |
| Time is Everything Gouache on Paper, 2001 |
| Living in the Past Gouache on Paper, 2001 |
| Love Dance 2 Gouache on Paper, 1998 |
| Crossroads 2 Gouache on Paper, 1999 |
| The Path to My Heart Gouache on Paper, 2001 |
BEYOND BORDERS, ACROSS OCEANS: TWO CONTINENTS
| An artistic exchange of cultural experiences |
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