Today In History: Alma Thomas Is Born

Alma Thomas (September 22, 1891 - February 24, 1978) was an African-American artist-teacher who began painting intently after she retired from the public schools of Washington, D.C. For 35 years she devoted herself to teaching art at Shaw Junior High School, where taught in the same classroom -- while bringing fine, new community art initiatives; in 1938 Thomas organized the first art gallery in the D.C. public schools in 1938,  featuring paintings by outstanding African-American artists from the Howard Gallery of Art. 

Thomas was the first graduate (1924) of Howard University's new art department, where she studied under James V. Herring. From 1930-1934, she spent her summers at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she earned a Master of Arts from Teachers College, Columbia University -- focusing her studies on sculpture, but writing her thesis on marionette shows in the public schools.  While teaching in D.C., she continued taking art classes in the 1950s at American University.

Associated with the Washington Color Field School, an art movement from the  1950s–1970s, Alma Woodsey Thomas  became well known for her work in color and her strong interest in abstract art, preceded by her work in expressionism. Her artwork was inspired by her life in D.C., nature, and science -- including the first moon landing. Among her most famous paintings are the Earth series, created when she was in her 80s, with circular bold, bright colors.  Thomas achieved national recognition through her solo exhibitions  at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1972. Her painting, Red Roses Sonata, is in the permanent collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In 2009, 31 years after her death, Thomas' painting, Watusi (Hard Edge) was one of two chosen by First Lady Michelle Obama and White House curator William Allman to be exhibited during the Obama presidency.  In 2015, the Obamas hung Thomas’s work Resurrection in the Old Family Dining Room. The painting is the first work by an African-American woman to hang in the public spaces of the White House as part of the permanent collection. In 2016 Alma Thomas' artwork was exhibited at the Studio Museum in Harlem where Teachers College hosted a curated tour.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning:

• Terrell, A (1972, Sep 09). That's Alma Thomas: Alma Thomas Cheery Artist. The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973) 
• Anderson, H. (1938, Jun 25). Meet Your Neighbor. Afro-American (1893-1988) 
• Shirey, D.L.. (1972, May 04). At 77, She's Made It to the Whitney. New York Times (1923-Current File) 
• Richards, P. R. (1972, Apr 28). First Solo Show at 77: A Joyful Colorist. The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973) 
• Richard, P.  (1978, Feb 25). Alma Thomas, 86, Dies; Washington Color Artist. The Washington Post (1974-Current File) 
• Forgery, B. (1981, Dec 26). Alma Thomas' Odyssey in Art and Life: NMAA Honors Howard's First Fine Arts Graduate. The Washington Post (1974-Current File) 
• G. G. (1983, Apr 29). Art: Studio Museum Exhibits Alma Thomas. New York Times (1923-Current File) 
• Temin, C. (1986, Feb 27). Alma Thomas' Abstractions Rooted in Color. Boston Globe (1960-1988) 
• Cotter, H. (2009, Oct 11). Colors From a World of Black and White: Critic's Notebook. New York Times (1923-Current File) 
• Cotter, H. (2009, Jan 16). In the Footsteps of Black Artists: ART. New York Times (1923-Current File) 

Tips:

• Thomas, Alma W. “The Marionette Show as a Correlating Activity in the Public Schools.” Thesis (M.S.)--Teachers College.  Closed Stacks Theses ; 0 1935 v.26
• Geilfuss, Robert. “Three Minority Colorists in Washington, D.C., 1950-1980: Morris Louis, Alma Thomas, and Sam Gilliam.” ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2023.  online
• Gohari, Sybil Elizabeth. “Through the Looking Glass: Race and Gender in the Reception of Paintings by Helen Frankenthaler, Norman Lewis, Alma Thomas, and Mark Tobey.” ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2012. online
• Hodge-Thorne, Cynthia. “The Politics of Space: Alma Thomas and Race Relations in 1960’s America.” ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2019. online

Images:

• Special News Slide, Courtesy of the Gottesman Libraries
• Atmospheric Effects II, 1971, acrylic and pencil on paper, sheet: 22 1⁄8 x 30 1⁄4 in. (56.2 x 76.8 cm), by Alma Thomas. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Vincent Melzac, 1976.140.4. Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

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