Alma W. Thomas

de Jonathan Frederick Walz, Seth Feman, Tiffany Barber, Aruna D'Souza, Jacqueline Francis

"In a collaboration between curators at The Columbus Museum and the Chrysler Museum of Art, Alma W. Thomas: Everything is Beautiful, works toward a primary objective: to introduce the Thomas-related materials housed at The Columbus Museum to a broader public, and to demonstrate how those materials reshape the narratives surrounding the artist. The wealth of material in The Columbus Museum's collection-from student work of the 1920s and marionettes from the 1930s, to home furnishings, ephemera, and little-known works on paper-offers a robust, but until now untold, account of Thomas's artistic journey. Taking cues from Thomas's wide-ranging interests and her broad network of collaborators and supporters, our museums also sought a scholarly approach that resonated with the artist's own disregard for silos, borders, and other arbitrary limitations. Assembling an interdisciplinary advisory committee of more than twenty scholars of diverse backgrounds and experiences, the curators convened a two-day gathering at the University of Maryland Center for Art and Knowledge at The Phillips Collection in January 2020 to illuminate varied aspects of Thomas's creativity and amplify the show's interdisciplinary approach. By applying interdisciplinary approaches to a range of artistic objects, the overall project presents new insights into Thomas's diverse forms of creativity while offering an inspiring look at how to lead a rich and beautiful life"--