In 2008, Bernie Herman, George Tindall Professor of American Studies at UNC–Chapel Hill and a recognized expert in material culture, came to the Ackland with an idea. He proposed an exhibition and publication that would examine the early drawings of Thornton Dial. I was intrigued by the prospect of studying a focused body of work as a means to better understand the creative process of an artist known for his very diverse and unconventional use of materials, frequently on a monumental scale. But I was also impressed by Professor Herman’s deep commitment to engage scholars with differing perspectives in examining the work, while at the same time including his students in the extended process of research and planning. In preparation for the exhibition and publication, students attended sessions with me and other staff at the Ackland to learn about museum practice and to discuss their ideas. They prepared conceptual outlines and generated framing questions. Undoubtedly, the highlight for them was the chance to travel to Alabama and meet Dial and to observe his approach to the creative process, including the actual execution of a drawing. The resulting collaboration among Ackland staff, leading scholars in the United States and abroad, students, and the artist Thornton Dial has created and shaped this publication and the exhibition.
The Ackland Art Museum is well known for its extensive collection of works on paper, and in particular its fine collection of drawings. Thus it is particularly appropriate that the museum would embrace this exploration of drawing as a touchstone of the creative process. While this book focuses on Dial’s early drawings, the ideas presented here have implications for other artists whose work has been characterized as “folk” or “outsider” art and thereby set apart and often ignored in serious art historical study. The project suggests a framework for reconsidering works of art by other artists who for too long have been defined by these same limiting categories.
Several individuals and organizations must be singled out for thanks. We wish to express our appreciation to the National Endowment for the Arts, which provided support to initiate the exhibition and book at a critical time. We would also like to thank David Frey for creating the David G. Frey Expendable American Art Fund at UNC–Chapel Hill. Without additional support from this fund, the project would not have been possible. We are also grateful to the Arnett family, and in particular Bill Arnett, who has embraced the project, spending many hours with our staff and scholars, making research materials available, and generously donating six of Dial’s drawings to our permanent collection. Four private collectors, Ron and June Shelp, Martha Howard, Tom Larkin, and The Souls Grown Deep Foundation, shared drawings from their personal collections in support of this important effort.
Finally, I am indebted to Bernie Herman, whose vision and indefatigable leadership have made the project a reality. By bringing his considerable expertise to the project, he has not only contributed to the scholarship but shepherded the book through every stage, starting with recruiting and encouraging the distinguished authors who join us in this effort: Glenn Hinson, Colin Rhodes, Juan Logan, and Cara Zimmerman.
I am confident that, thanks to the contributions of all of our collaborators, this book adds substantially to the growing body of scholarship on the work of Thornton Dial and enlivens an interdisciplinary approach to the field of American art.
EMILY KASS, DIRECTOR, ACKLAND ART MUSEUM