Jessamine Shumate facts for kids
Ada Jessamine Shumate (born March 31, 1902 – died December 16, 1990) was an American artist, historian, and mapmaker. She was born in Horsepasture, Virginia, and passed away in Greenville, North Carolina. In 1955, she won the "Award of Distinction" from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
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Jessamine Shumate's Artworks
Jessamine Shumate used many different art styles and materials during her career. She worked with silk screen printing, pastels, watercolors, and oil paints. She also created collages, batik, and serigraphs. Sometimes, she even used a blowtorch with oil paints! She made photographic prints of her original art too.
Her art included traditional portraits and still life paintings. She also painted beautiful scenes of Virginia's countryside. Jessamine Shumate created many abstract art pieces as well. These used styles like cubism, orientalism, and found object art.
Artistic Challenges
During her time, Jessamine Shumate often worked alone. There were not many other professional artists in southwestern Virginia. This meant fewer people to share ideas with. Many artists in the 1940s and 1950s liked very traditional art. They focused on family portraits or landscapes. Jessamine Shumate's modern art was often criticized locally. She helped start the Piedmont Arts Association in Martinsville, Virginia.
Church Paintings
Jessamine Shumate created a series of artworks about her church. It was the Broad Street Christian Church in Martinsville, Virginia. She even taught kindergarten Sunday school there for many years.
One oil painting showed the outside of the church in a cubist style. This means it showed the church from different angles at the same time. In two other pastel drawings, she showed light from the stained glass windows. The light filled the church and seemed to shine right through its brick walls.
Philpott Dam Art
She also made two watercolor paintings of the Philpott Dam in Henry County. She painted these while the dam was being built. Her paintings show the temporary cement factory. This factory was built to make cement for the dam. It was taken down once the dam was finished.
Her paintings are special because they are the only art from that time. Most photos focused on the dam's construction itself. They did not show the engineering details like the cement factory. These paintings have now been given to the Philpott Dam. They help people understand what went into building the dam.
College Life Paintings
Jessamine Shumate also painted while she was a student. She attended the Woman's College in Greensboro, North Carolina. This school is now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Some of these paintings show the gym and other buildings in a cubist style. They mix old and new buildings together. Other pastel paintings show student housing and life in Greensboro, North Carolina. These scenes are from the late 1940s.
Unusual Art: The Cookie Sheet
Jessamine Shumate was known for some very unique artworks. One of the most interesting was a burned cookie sheet! A writer once said she might be the only artist to paint on a cookie sheet.
The story goes that she left a cookie sheet in the oven too long. It got burned and she couldn't clean it properly. So, she decided to paint it and frame it instead! This piece is called "Pebbly Abstract No. 3." It is an example of "found object art." This means an everyday object is turned into a work of art. Jessamine Shumate took something "found" and made it artistic.
Where Her Art Was Shown
Jessamine Shumate's art was shown in many places. These include the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia. Her work was also displayed at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, Virginia. Other locations include Bristol, Tennessee, the Greenville Museum of Art in Greenville, North Carolina, and Tarboro, North Carolina. She also showed her art in Springfield, Massachusetts, and other cities.
Jessamine Shumate's Life Story
Jessamine Shumate was born to Nathan Mortimer White and Ada Bassett White. Her father owned a general store in Horsepasture, Virginia. Her mother worked as an elementary school truant officer. Jessamine remembered her father being very interested in science and nature.
She once shared a memory of watching Halley's Comet with her father in 1910. He told her all about it. She was thrilled to see the comet again in 1986.
Becoming an Artist
Jessamine Shumate did not paint seriously when she was younger. But she always wanted to. She had taught art in higher grades at her school. Later, when her youngest daughter went to Lynchburg College, Jessamine decided to take art classes there. She drove to Lynchburg every week.
She loved these classes. After that, she went to Women's College in Greensboro, North Carolina. This is now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. There, she took more advanced art classes. She also attended some courses at the Art Students League of New York. Every month, she would take the train to New York City and stay for a week. She learned a lot and enjoyed trying many different art materials.
Family Life
Jessamine married Whitney Shumate on December 13, 1922. She wrote in her autobiography about how they met. Whitney had a big car and would take her and her family for rides. When he bought a smaller car, everyone joked he was getting serious. They said he wanted to leave her family at home! It must have been true, as they soon married.
Whitney and Jessamine Shumate had two daughters. They were Ada Margaret S. Hadden and Jessamine "Jeppy" White S. Calhoun. Her grandson, Whit Haydn, is a well-known magician and entertainer.
Awards and Recognition
- 1955: She received the "Award of Distinction" for her painting, "Joy." This award was from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. The museum bought one of her serigraphs for their permanent collection. Several of her paintings were also part of their Traveling Exhibit.
- 1956: She won 1st Prize at the Virginia Highlands Festival for her painting, Soul Fluctuations. The Virginia Highlands Festival is in Abingdon, Virginia. It started in 1948 and is now a major event. It offers entertainment, antiques, art shows, and features famous writers and artists.
- 1956: She received a Merit Award from the Association of University Women in Roanoke, Virginia.
- 1962: She won a sterling silver bowl from the Piedmont Chapter of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. This was at the "Piedmont Art Show" in Martinsville, Virginia, on May 12. The silver bowl was engraved with "First Prize- Oil."
Important Artworks
- Historical Map of Virginia (1959): This large map was made using silk screen printing. It shows local history, important families, and their coats of arms. It covers 400 years of Virginia's history. This map needed over 27 silk screens to print. Each one was corrected by hand.
- Historical Map of Henry County, Virginia (1957): This map came with a separate timeline of local history. It was featured on the cover of a book called 'Our Proud Heritage'. Copies of the map and timeline are at the University of Virginia Library.
- Historical Map of Guilford County, North Carolina (1959): This map also used a silk screen process. It showed the county's shape and important local events. One event was the Battle of Guilford Court House. A copy is available at the University of Virginia Library.
- Historical Map of Pitt County, North Carolina (1968): This map is also available as a serigraph. It comes with a printed timeline of the county. Copies can be found at the Sheppard Memorial Library in Greenville, North Carolina. They are also at the University of Virginia Library.
- Composition (1965): This was one of her favorite abstract paintings. It uses shapes in gray, yellow, and red. She made many prints of this artwork.
- Wind in New York: This is a black and white study. It shows the strong winds that blow between New York City's skyscrapers. Once, while Jessamine Shumate was in art school there, a gust of wind blew her against a taxicab. This event is shown in the artwork.
- Soul Fluctuations (1956): This painting won 1st Prize at the Virginia Highlands Festival.
