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Clementine Hunter

Born in the late 1880s, Clementine Hunter spent most of her early life working on a farm before moving to Mel­rose Plantation as a teen­ager. During the period of time she worked at Melrose, the home’s owner — Cammie Henry — hosted several artists on the grounds under the condition that the artists create or leave. One of the artists left his supplies at the home after his stay. These supplies were found by Clementine Hunter and famously used to create her first art piece. In 1955, Hunter was the first African-American artist to have a solo art show at a gallery in New Orleans and another at North­western State College (now University.) As an African-American, she was not allowed into the college gal­lery with white patrons; she had to be snuck in the back to see her own exhibition.

Hunter was a prolific painter who started in her 50s and eventually created more than 5,000 works of art literally leaving her legacy on every spare piece of flat surface avail­able. She painted scenes from the plantation world around her: hanging clothes to dry, funeral processionals and people in her community. Using both bright colors and the size and scale of objects in her paintings, she conveyed how she felt about the people in her community (being painted bigger meant being important). Because of the vast number of paintings and her unique painting style, her artwork plays an important role in under­stand­ing life in the Cane River region during the early- to mid-twentieth century. Although Hunter originally sold her artwork for as little as one dollar (or 25 cents to look through her gallery), her pieces often sell for top price today and have been featured in many prestigious art museums across the globe. Hunter passed in 1988 at age 100.