Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-07-15

In seven years the annu
to the point at which its spa
it is the largest outdoor art
therefore, is assured. The
thing to work for is quality.
The show says along in the
manner Of open" shows
everywhere. Moreover, the
exhibition as now constituted,
is weakened by the absence
this year Of several Of the
better artists of previous
years. This works as follows:
About seventy per cent of
the entries in all fields have
no business being exhibited
anywhere. The impression is
therefore given that only
thirty per cent Of white
artists In this area know any
thing about their work.
The Issue
On the other hand, the
only Negro artist the visitor
is likely to encounter is A.
B. jackson, art department
head at the Norfolk division
of Virginia State College,
the man who was refused
admission. Mr.. Jackson has
to be sought out at the col
lege, but when he is found,
his work is on a high level
of competency both in some
what abstract compositions
and in the figure painting
he has recently taken UP.
The visitor concludes,
therefore, that Negroes are
better painters than whites.
Should Be "Open"
This is unfair. The odds
are high that there are pro-
portionately as many absurd
Negro painters as there are
whites in that popular cate
CORY. The boardwalk art show
ought to be truly open If only
to protect the artistic repu-
tation of the white race.
AS noted, the controversy
about admitting Mr.. Jackson
has resulted in the absence
of several previously exhibit
ing artists of merit, including
the winner Of last years
show, Walter Thrift. whose
paintings and cottages are
well known in Washington,
where he formerly operated
a commercial gallery. Since,
in general, the protesting and
absent artists are those who
take their work seriously. the
show, although still 1.-THE big
gest of it's kind" with 212
artists and probably about
5000 works on view, has lost
more than just Mr.. Jackson.
Good Realism
There is virtually no seri-
Gus and competent abstract
art on view. In previous
years such work provided
many of the worthwhile
paintings.
On the other hand there
are a number of very good
realistic painters, who tend
to be embarrassed when
asked about their presence.
One Washington artist, Low
ell Nesbit, represented by
prints and drawings, said: IT
don't have a very good con-
science about this" He said
that he first learned Of the
segregation question when it
was too late to change his
plans.
Artists Express Opinions
Among the best of the real
lists is a student at the Penn
sylvania Academy Of Fine
Arts, Franklin Shores of
Hampton, Va. Mr.. Shores
termed the exclusion of Mr..
Jackson "disgraceful." He
said such an action would be
"unthinkable" in Pennsyl-
vania, land now I feel that
way, too"
One woman artist, who de-
clined to be identified, said
frankly that the absence of
the protesting artists made
the sales possibilities better
for those of us who aren't
that good"
Outstanding among the
dominant in the show are
Jack Clifton, Glenn Heaton
and Bob Browne, the latter
two from Baltimore. Mr..
Heaton exhibits sharp focus
realist paintings of such
small objects as fishing flies.
Mr.. Clifton, of Hampton, pro-
vides about the only social
comment in the show, al
though that quality is rare in
his work.
Generally he paints with
dim melancholy a lonely
house on a deserted beach,
or a studio nude. In one work,