Posted on January 16, 2006

Savannah College of Art and Design to Receive African-American Art Collection

The Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia has announced an agreement with Dr. Walter O. Evans that designates the college as the recipient of seventy works of African-American art.

The donated works will come from the extensive personal collection of Evans, a retired surgeon and his wife, Linda, and from the Walter O. Evans Foundation for Art and Literature. Comprised of paintings, illustrations, and sculpture, the collection is valued at more than $7 million and features a range of African-American art from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including several of Romare Bearden's collages and paintings, landscapes by Robert Scott Duncanson and Edward M. Bannister, and the Genesis Creation series by Jacob Lawrence.

"The Evans collection embodies a sustained dedication and appreciation for African-American art and artists," said SCAD president Paula S. Wallace. "Walter and Linda have created an assemblage of works that celebrates African-American culture. We are fortunate to receive this gift and will continue to share it with others."