Minnie Evans facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Minnie Evans
Born	Minnie Eva Jones (1892-12-12)December 12, 1892 Long Creek, Pender County, North Carolina, United States
Died	December 16, 1987(1987-12-16) (aged 95) Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S.
Nationality	American

Minnie Eva Evans (born December 12, 1892 – died December 16, 1987) was an amazing African American artist. She created art in the United States from the 1940s to the 1980s. Minnie used many materials like oils and pencils. But she started with wax and crayon. She was inspired to draw by special visions and dreams. These dreams happened throughout her life, even when she was a young girl. People know her as a Southern folk artist and an outsider artist. She is also called a surrealist and a visionary artist.

Minnie's Early Life

Minnie Eva Jones was born on December 12, 1892. Her birthplace was Long Creek, Pender County, North Carolina. Her mother, Ella Jones, was only thirteen years old. Minnie and her mother moved to Wilmington, North Carolina in 1893. They lived with Minnie's grandmother, Mary Croom Jones.

Like many kids, Minnie had a very active imagination. She often had vivid visions that kept her awake at night. Because of this, she didn't get much rest. Her family also needed her help, so she stopped school at age 13. In 1903, Minnie, Ella, and Mary moved to Wrightsville Sound. This town was near Wilmington. Minnie went to St. Matthew African Methodist Episcopal Church there.

In Wrightsville, Ella Jones met Joe Kelly. They got married in 1908. Minnie worked selling shellfish door to door. In 1908, Minnie met Julius Caesar Evans through Joe Kelly's daughter. Minnie was sixteen and Julius was nineteen. They got married that same year. They had three sons: Elisha, David, and George.

Minnie had many people who supported her art. But her husband, Julius, was not one of them. He often told her to stop drawing her visions. He wanted her to focus on their home. He thought her art was making her "crazy."

Working at Airlie Gardens

In 1916, Minnie Evans started working for Pembroke Jones. He was a rich businessman and her husband's boss. Minnie's family lived on Jones's large estate called "Pembroke Park." This area is now known as Landfall. Pembroke Jones passed away in 1919. His wife, Sarah (Sadie) Jones, then married Henry Walters. Minnie kept working for Sadie and Henry at the Airlie Estate.

Sadie Jones turned the Airlie Estate into beautiful gardens in the early 1900s. These gardens became very famous in the South. After Sadie Jones died, Albert Corbet bought the property in 1948. He asked Minnie Evans to be the gatekeeper. Her job was to collect money from visitors. She worked as the gatekeeper for the rest of her working life. She retired in 1974 when she was 82 years old.

Minnie's Art Journey

Minnie Evans started drawing on Good Friday in 1935. Her first two drawings used pen and ink. They had many circles and lines. She called them "My Very First" and "My Second." From a young age, Minnie saw visions and mythical creatures. These visions stayed with her as she grew up. One day, she heard a voice say, "Why don't you draw or die?"

After that, Minnie didn't draw again until 1940. She began using pencil and wax on paper. Later, she used oil paints and mixed media collages. Her art often showed scenes from the Bible or nature. Sometimes, it was a mix of both. Her art was influenced by African, Caribbean, East India, Chinese, and Western cultures. Since she worked at the Airlie Gardens, she often used the gardens as inspiration. She painted visions inspired by the flowers and plants around her.

Minnie first sold her art at Airlie Gardens. She would hang her pieces on the front gate. She also often gave her art away to visitors. Soon, she became well-known in the South. People would visit the gardens just to see her work. In 1961, she had her first art show. It was at the Little Artists Gallery in Wilmington, North Carolina. This gallery is now called the St. Johns Museum.

In 1962, Minnie met Nina Howell Starr. Nina was a photographer and an art historian. Nina knew about Minnie's art and wanted to meet her. Nina then helped Minnie share her art with more people for 25 years. Minnie used to sell her first paintings for only 50 cents. Nina encouraged her to sell them for more. Minnie felt her art was too personal to share. But in 1961, she had her first big art show at The Little Gallery.

From 1962 to 1973, Nina recorded interviews with Minnie. At first, Minnie was careful about trusting Nina. But they grew to respect each other. Nina helped Minnie's career by storing and selling her art in New York City. She also taught Minnie to sign and date her artwork. In 1966, Nina set up Minnie's first New York show. It was at the Church of Epiphany. In 1969, another show happened at the Art Image Gallery. In 1975, Nina organized a major show for Minnie at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Art experts describe Minnie's work as "dream-like" or "visionary." Religion was very important in Minnie's life. It was also important in many of her paintings. Minnie said she wasn't sure what her paintings meant. She said, "when I get through with them I have to look at them like everybody else. They are just as strange to me as they are to anybody else."

Minnie created a powerful self-portrait in 1981. It was on the cover of a scrapbook. Minnie Evans passed away in Wilmington, North Carolina, on December 16, 1987. She was 95 years old. She left over 400 artworks to the St. Johns Museum of Art. This museum is now the Cameron Art Museum.

After Minnie's death, artist Virginia Wright-Frierson built the Minnie Evans Bottle Chapel. It is at Airlie Gardens. This chapel is made almost entirely from reused glass bottles. It honors Minnie Evans and includes art from other artists. From above, the chapel looks like a flower. Along the path, colored cement has pressed flowers. These are like the plants Minnie used in her paintings. Children's art inspired by Minnie became 95 stepping stones. Each stone represents a year of her life. The chapel has stained glass with faces and figures. These look like the ones Minnie drew. May 14, 1994, was named "Minnie Evans" day in Greenville, North Carolina.

Minnie Evans was also featured in a documentary film. It was called The Angel that Stands By Me: Minnie Evans' Art (1983). The title comes from a quote by Minnie herself. She said, "God has sent me an angel that stands by me. [It] stands with me and directs me what to do."

Minnie's Art Style

Minnie Evans started to draw and paint when she was 43. Her first artworks were on a piece of paper bag. She often drew freehand, from left to right. Minnie was known for using whatever materials she had. This included old window shades, book covers, and scrap paper. She also loved using Crayola crayons. She said they were "the best."

Five years later, she decided to truly focus on drawing her dreams. Her dream world was full of beautiful gardens and heavens. It was mostly free of scary things. She painted her early works on US Coast Guard paper. Later, she worked with more detail. She used ink, graphite, wax crayon, watercolour, and oil on canvas.

Minnie's drawings were inspired by her dreams. They were full of bright colors from her time at Airlie Gardens. Her designs were complex. They mixed art styles from China and the Caribbean with Western ideas. A common motif in her art was a human face. This face was surrounded by plants and animals. The eyes were very important in her figures. Minnie thought eyes represented God's all-seeing presence. She often drew three eyes or faces with hidden lips. Symmetry was also a common theme. Sometimes, God was shown with wings and a colorful collar. He also had a halo and was surrounded by many creatures.

Her drawing became a strong urge. At first, her friends and family worried she was losing her mind. But over time, they respected her art. They believed she had a special gift. One friend said, "I really feel like Minnie has powers that not many of us have. I'm sure she has."

Famous Artworks

Minnie's first works, My Very First and My Second, are ink on paper. They are filled with abstract designs and nature images. These early works are not in color. Minnie gave these drawings to a prophet. The prophet told her they predicted World War II. Later, Minnie painted Invasion Picture. This showed destruction, bombs, and a figure of Fu Manchu.

Another work is called "Design: Airlie Garden". It shows flowers, plants, and butterflies. This piece has a nature theme. But it is a bit different because it is not symmetrical.

Two other untitled works are more typical of Minnie's style. One, from 1996, shows a woman with a feathered headdress and a green bird. This piece has bold colors and is symmetrical. It also includes nature themes. She used graphite, ink, tempera, and wax crayon on paper. The other is a female portrait. It includes the theme of eyes, bold colors, and nature designs. For this, she used gouache, ink, and wax crayon on paper.

Today, Minnie Evans is known as one of the most important visionary folk artists of the 20th century. Her work is collected by many museums and art lovers worldwide. Even though she made a lot of art, her pieces do not often go up for sale. When they do, many people want to buy them. You can see her art in famous places like the Museum of Modern Art and the Smithsonian Institution. You can also find her work at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, the American Folk Art Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and the High Museum of Art.

A review of a 2017 art show noted how Minnie's later works changed. They showed "increasingly sophisticated" faces and more "familiarity with nature." This was different from her first drawings. Her early works, from 1935 to 1940, showed her natural talent.

Images for kids

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  Minnie Evans Bottle Chapel designed and built by Virginia Wright-Frierson