Charcoal Portraiture

This project features portraits of educators from Wilmington, N.C. who taught in segregated and desegregated schools. Created by artist Alexandria P. Clay, the charcoal portraits are intended to evoke memories of the era of Black educators who taught generations of students.

Clay employs a fluid and expressive wet charcoal technique that allows her to convey how fleeting our most precious memories can feel. At the same time, the heavy contrast of the pigmented black on the white paper communicates a lasting impact and a determination to keep those memories alive.

[Watch: See Alexandria P. Clay’s Artist Talk for Lost in Transition.]

Educators: The Wilmington, N.C. educators depicted in this project all worked during the 20th century, spanning more than eight decades beginning in 1915. Click on the images below to learn more about each educator.

Image references: Most of the images referenced are from issues of the Willistonian, the yearbook for Williston Senior High School first published in 1946. The yearbooks and images are courtesy of the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science. The image of Ernest A. Swain is not from the Willistonian but is courtesy of the Cape Fear Museum of History and Science. The image of David Clarke Virgo is from The Pen, a publication from Saint Augustine's University, courtesy of Saint Augustine's University and DigitalNC.

The Performance

Lost in Transition the Performance highlights how Black educators cared for and taught their students. Addison Hamlet, Malik Fowler and Khori Talley — theater students from the University of North Carolina Wilmington — perform excerpts from oral histories that share the impact and experience of Black educators. Note: The full video of the performance can be seen inside the gallery.

The oral history excerpts are from the following students and educators: Vernelle Best, Kathryn Ennett, Lethia S. Hankins, Jeanne Barksdale Harris, Herman Johnson, B. Constance O'Dell, Linda A. Pearce, and Ernest A. Swain. The 20th century student and educator portrayals are performed by the following:

• Addison Hamlet: Lethia S. Hankins and Jeanne Barksdale Harris

• Malik Fowler: Kathryn Ennett, Herman Johnson, and B. Constance O'Dell

• Khori Talley: Vernelle Best, Linda A. Pearce, and Ernest A. Swain

Oral history references: Oral history excerpts for the performance work are sourced from the Randall Library Oral History Collection at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and the Behind the Veil series from the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.