New acquisition by artist Nellie Mae Rowe on display at OUMA

Michelle Geiger
July 16, 2024

The Oglethorpe University Museum of Art (OUMA) has recently acquired a work by Georgia artist Nellie Mae Rowe through a generous gift-in-kind from the Judith Alexander Foundation. The piece, titled “Baby Girl,” can be seen in a current exhibit at the museum, “OUMA Collects 2024: Highlights from the Collection.”

Painting by Nellie Mae Rowe — “Baby Girl” by Nellie Mae Rowe

A self-taught artist, Nellie Mae Rowe was born in rural Fayetteville, Georgia, in 1900 and passed away in Vinings, Georgia, in 1982. The daughter of a formerly enslaved sharecropper, she made art from whatever was available, working across mediums to create drawings, collages, hand-sewn dolls and sculptural environments. Her work explores politics, race, her faith and her experience as a woman. She was one of the first Black self-taught women to be celebrated for her art and is now widely recognized as a leading artist in the self-taught genre.

“The addition of this work by Nellie Mae Rowe greatly enhances OUMA’s permanent collection and aligns with our desire to highlight underserved voices,” says John Daniel Tilford, OUMA’s curator of collections and development associate. “The work will also serve as a valuable instrument in undergraduate research initiatives of Oglethorpe students.”

The works of Nellie Mae Rowe are held in museum collections across Georgia and the U.S., including at the High Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC, the American Folk Art Museum in New York, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art among others.

Now, through the generous donation of this piece by the Judith Alexander Foundation, her work will be part of the permanent collection housed in OUMA.

“The Judith Alexander Foundation’s donation to Oglethorpe University’s Museum of Art aligns perfectly with our mission to preserve and celebrate the legacy of the late Georgia artist Nellie Mae Rowe. We are delighted to add this significant work to the permanent collection, confident that curator John Tilford’s passion and dedication will ensure its impact is felt throughout the community,” says Judith Alexander Augustine, director of the Judith Alexander Foundation. “The university setting provides an ideal environment for young people, many of whom are just beginning their journey into the art world, to discover Nellie Mae Rowe’s extraordinary contributions and explore her life, work, and broader cultural significance in depth.”