Miss Addie's Gift

MISS ADDIE'S GIFT; Portrait of an American Folk Artist, is a biography/full-color catalogue/tribute to North Carolina self-taught artist, Addie James (1943-2011). Author Kate Merrill, longtime gallery owner and co-owner of Merrill-Jennings Galleries in Davidson, NC, represented Miss Addie from 2000 to Addie's death in 2011, and during that time helped elevate the artist to national prominence. The text not only includes Kate's assessment of how to place Addie in art history--- in that complex maze of what is lumped together as primitive, naïve, folk, or outsider art--- but also conveys Kate's deep friendship with her subject. After hours of taped interviews, the text also weaves Addie's first-person narrative as well as Addie's original poems through the presentation. The result is a colorful art book which evolves as a portrait of as unique human being who inspires hope in a troubled time when peace and joy seem all but lost. As opposed to being an academic critique, Miss Addie's Gift, should appeal to a mainstream audience, especially all women, African Americans, art and folk art lovers---indeed anyone open to an inspirational message. Addie James was an African American mother of five, grandmother of six, who never learned to drive a car, nor did she stray far beyond her hometown of Statesville, North Carolina. She worked in the cotton fields, endured segregation, financial hardship, and personal tragedy. Yet neither her art nor her spirit reflected one trace of bitterness. Addie painted for as long as she could remember, graduating from crayons and pencils to watercolors, acrylics, and all manner of mixed media. She painted on any material available: fabric, cardboard, wood...even the jackets of broken books. As a young woman, Addie was an accomplished fashion designer with a flair for sewing. She filled notebooks with her designs, translated them to clothing, and received an offer to design as a professional. Because she was busy raising a family, Addie ignored the opportunity in favor of making clothes for her children's paper dolls and capturing her fashions in her paintings. Miss Addie wrote poetry and songs. She adorned quilts, chairs, gourds, and handmade fans with her art. If painting had been a lifelong passion, it became a necessity when her husband died in the early nineties: I use drawing as a stress reliever. It brings me fun and joy. Indeed, all Addie's work reflected her natural joy in everyday living. Much of her subject matter can be described as the five "F's" fun, fashion, friends, family, and faith. While living the African-American experience in Statesville could not have been easy for Miss Addie, her art always spoke with a positive voice. If Addie had a dark side, it seldom showed in her art. Over the years, Addie James slowly attracted critical attention. Her art was featured in community shows, The Wallace House at Mitchell Community College, the Iredell Museum of Arts and Heritage and the Statesville Depot. In February 2002 and 2003 Miss Addie had major One-Woman Show at Merrill-Jennings Galleries in Davidson. The gallery represented her exclusively. Addie James saw herself, quite correctly, as a serious, dedicated painter. Her unselfconscious balance of ego and humility were key to her success and a joy to behold. When Addie James died unexpectedly in August, 2011, her friends, family, collectors and the art world at large lost an authentic American treasure. While she will be terribly missed, her gift will live forever in her art.