Diggs Gallery

Diggs Gallery Diggs Gallery is the cultural center at Winston-Salem State University. All exhibitions are free and Diggs Gallery is named for James Thackeray "T" Diggs, Jr.

(1915-1989), a 1934 graduate of Winston-Salem State, a painter and a former WSSU art professor for more than 40 years. Professor Diggs was a philosopher, educator and artist who always stressed the importance of pure art. "Art is a means of expressing, creating, doing your own thing, and being liberated." This was his philosophy for 45 years, so much so that he practiced what he preached; designed

the buildings of WSSU's campus, enjoying the company of his colleagues, being surrounded by students looking for a better technique, and producing drawings, prints and paintings for pleasure. James Gordon Hanes, Jr. was born on March 3, 1916, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to James Gordon Hanes Sr. and Emmie Drewry Hanes. His family was well-established in the Winston-Salem community. His father was the founder, president and chairman of the Board of the Hanes Hosiery Co. and its successor, Hanes Corp. Gordon Hanes, Jr., graduated from Woodberry Forest School in 1933, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1937 from Yale University. He went on to study Business Administration at Pace College and graduated in 1939. He married Helen Greever Copenhaver on August 30, 1941 and had three children, James Gordon Hanes, III, Eldridge C. Hanes, and Margaret Drewry Hanes. His interest in art brought him to James Thackery Diggs, Jr. and a friendship was born which remained strong until Professor Diggs death in 1989. Gordon Hanes remembered that friendship in the creation of Diggs Gallery in 1989. The gallery first opened its doors to the public on October 2, 1990. The gallery is the major cultural center at Winston-Salem State University and offers one of the largest exhibition spaces dedicated to the arts of Africa and the African Diaspora in North Carolina. Exhibitions, publications and programs address abroad range of artistic expression, with special concentration on African-American and regional art. Since Diggs Gallery opened in 1990, Winston-Salem State University has witnessed tremendous cultural growth and, through gifts and acquisitions, has amassed a permanent art collection. Composed of the Sculpture Garden, the Biggers Murals and a number of paintings, prints and sculptures, the collection highlights African and African-American art. Through gifts by the late Gordon Hanes Jr., the gallery also houses an impressive collection of works on paper by well-known European and American artists such as; Jean Francois Millet, Joan Miro, and Robert Rauchenberg. An art tour of our campus offers a substantial introduction to, or more advanced study of, contemporary African-American art. WSSU seeks to make a significant contribution to the cultural life of its students, to the citizens of this region and to visitors to our community. We invite you to visit one of the region's oldest educational institutions for a very special cultural experience!

Please join us for our opening reception this Thursday, October 24th from 5pm - 7pm. We hope to see you soon!Photograph ...
10/22/2019

Please join us for our opening reception this Thursday, October 24th from 5pm - 7pm. We hope to see you soon!

Photograph - Chi Modu, Tupac Shakur, 1993

CHI MODU, UNCATEGORIZED, ON VIEW JULY 5TH - NOVEMBER 22, 2019Photograph courtesy of Chi Moduhttp://www.chimodu.com
08/06/2019

CHI MODU, UNCATEGORIZED, ON VIEW JULY 5TH - NOVEMBER 22, 2019

Photograph courtesy of Chi Modu
http://www.chimodu.com

ON VIEW JULY 5 - NOVEMBER 22, 2019, "UKNOWHOWWEDU", FEATURING IONA ROZEAL BROWN, LAKELA BROWN, GEORGIE NAKIMA, & STEPHAN...
08/06/2019

ON VIEW JULY 5 - NOVEMBER 22, 2019, "UKNOWHOWWEDU", FEATURING IONA ROZEAL BROWN,
LAKELA BROWN, GEORGIE NAKIMA, & STEPHANIE J. WOODS!

Photograph courtesy of Spelman College Museum of Fine Arts

a3 blackface #65, 2003 Acrylic on paper
85 x 59 inches
Collection of Spelman College, Atlanta, GA

The Diggs Gallery of Winston-Salem State University received the HBCU Digest Award for the "Best Fine Arts Program." "Ac...
08/06/2019
Social work, Diggs Gallery win 2019 HBCU Awards - Winston-Salem State University

The Diggs Gallery of Winston-Salem State University received the HBCU Digest Award for the "Best Fine Arts Program." "According to HBCU Digest, The HBCU Awards is the first and only national awards ceremony honoring individual and institutional achievement at historically Black colleges and universities throughout the country."

https://www.wssu.edu/about/news/articles/2019/08/social-work,-diggs-gallery-win-2019-hbcu-awards.html

As the Director of the Diggs Gallery at Winston-Salem State University, I am happy to announce that we received the HBCU...
08/06/2019
Social work, Diggs Gallery win 2019 HBCU Awards - Winston-Salem State University

As the Director of the Diggs Gallery at Winston-Salem State University, I am happy to announce that we received the HBCU Digest Award for the "Best Fine Arts Program for the Diggs Gallery!" "According to HBCU Digest, The HBCU Awards is the first and only national awards ceremony honoring individual and institutional achievement at historically Black colleges and universities throughout the country."

https://www.wssu.edu/about/news/articles/2019/08/social-work,-diggs-gallery-win-2019-hbcu-awards.html

Please join us on Friday, April 5th for the opening of "TENACIOUS COLORS: 2019 Senior Thesis Art Exhibition" from 5pm - ...
04/04/2019

Please join us on Friday, April 5th for the opening of "TENACIOUS COLORS: 2019 Senior Thesis Art Exhibition" from 5pm - 7pm!

Congratulations to our Diggs Gallery Director, Endia Beal, who was honored by Governor Roy Cooper, the N.C. African Ame...
02/17/2019
NC Gov. Cooper: North Carolina to Honor African American Artists, Musicians During Black History Month Reception on Thursday

Congratulations to our Diggs Gallery Director, Endia Beal, who was honored by Governor Roy Cooper, the N.C. African American Heritage Commission and the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources for her contributions to the arts of North Carolina. Click the link below to read more!

https://governor.nc.gov/news/north-carolina-honor-african-american-artists-musicians-during-black-history-month-reception

In celebration of Black History Month, Governor Roy Cooper and First Lady Kristin Cooper will honor African American musicians and artists from North Carolina at a reception at the Executive Mansion beginning at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14.

Please join us on Thursday, February 7th from 5pm - 7pm for the opening of "Our Faculty. Our Staff. An Exhibition of Art...
02/06/2019

Please join us on Thursday, February 7th from 5pm - 7pm for the opening of "Our Faculty. Our Staff. An Exhibition of Artistic Voices from Winston-Salem State University."

The Diggs Gallery is looking for a Gallery Program Associate. Click the link to apply. https://jobs.wssu.edu/postings/95...
12/05/2018
Gallery Program Associate

The Diggs Gallery is looking for a Gallery Program Associate. Click the link to apply.

https://jobs.wssu.edu/postings/9545

This position will coordinate the day-to-day functions of the art gallery which include program, plan and organize activities, communicate program policy and procedures, provide customer service to art patorns, and maintain routine business accounts and records. They serve as the main program contac...

Congratulations to our Diggs Gallery Director, Endia Beal, for receiving New York's Center for Curatorial Leadership Fel...
11/06/2018
New York’s Center for Curatorial Leadership Announces 2019 Fellows

Congratulations to our Diggs Gallery Director, Endia Beal, for receiving New York's Center for Curatorial Leadership Fellowship!

https://www.artforum.com/news/new-york-s-center-for-curatorial-leadership-announces-2019-fellows-77466?fbclid=IwAR2hqkCbfYjeQPp_rgqdb7Np4SF-nmKCpGHgjG3DYcDBCNck0k_u3ivw1ok

The Center for Curatorial Leadership (CCL) in New York has named twelve curators as the recipients of its 2019 fellowships. Chosen from a dozen museums across the United States, the cohort will participate in three weeks of in-session instruction, have residencies with museum directors, and work to....

10/29/2018

Congratulations to our Director, Endia Beal, for receiving the North Carolina Arts Council Artist Fellowship and the Center for Curatorial Leadership Fellowship!!!

The Diggs Gallery would like to thank the Winston-Salem Journal and Tom Patterson for featuring our 2 exhibitions "Truth...
10/29/2018
Identity, Politics and Art: Paired exhibitions at Diggs Gallery examine issues of race and representation

The Diggs Gallery would like to thank the Winston-Salem Journal and Tom Patterson for featuring our 2 exhibitions "Truth Be Told: For Freedoms 50 States Initiative" and "Race, Love, Labor, an exhibition of works by the Center for Photography at Woodstock's Artists-In-Residence."

https://www.journalnow.com/visual_arts/identity-politics-and-art-paired-exhibitions-at-diggs-gallery-examine/article_a4ae6c17-4749-55b3-9aa9-79ee4659867a.html

Aesthetics and message come together to produce a strong fusion in a pair of back-to-back exhibitions at Winston-Salem State University’s Diggs Gallery. The gallery’s front section is the site of

REMINDER: Please join us today, August 30th at the Diggs Gallery for the opening of "Race, Love, Labor: An Exhibition of...
08/30/2018

REMINDER: Please join us today, August 30th at the Diggs Gallery for the opening of "Race, Love, Labor: An Exhibition of Works by the Center for Photography at Woodstock's Artists-In-Residence."

The exhibiting artists include LaToya Ruby Frazier, Tommy Kha, Xaviera Simmons, William Cordova, Isaac Diggs, Caleb Ferguson, Nikita Gale, Gerard H. Gaskin, Eyakem Gulilat, Kathya Landeros, Deana Lawson, Alma Leiva, Yijun Pixy Liao, Gina Osterloh, Dawit L. Petros, Tim Portlock, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Joanna Tam and Preston Wadley.

Photography Credit Information:
LaToya Ruby Frazier
Momme, 2008
Gelatin Silver Print
The Center for Photography at Woodstock Permanent Print Collection

Please join us on Thursday, August 30th for the opening of "Race, Love, and Labor, An Exhibition of work by the Center f...
08/10/2018

Please join us on Thursday, August 30th for the opening of "Race, Love, and Labor, An Exhibition of work by the Center for Photography at Woodstock’s (CPW) Artist-in-Residence" and "Truth Be Told: For Freedoms 50 State Initiative." The public reception will be held on Thursday, August 30th, from 5:30pm – 7:30pm. We hope to see you soon!

02/14/2018

The Diggs Gallery will be closed from February 15th until April 5th for in house maintenance. We look forward to seeing you all in the spring!

Congratulations Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald!"The ability to be the first African-American painter to paint the first A...
02/12/2018
Paintings Of Barack And Michelle Obama Unveiled At Portrait Gallery

Congratulations Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald!

"The ability to be the first African-American painter to paint the first African-American president of the United States is absolutely overwhelming..." Kehinde Wiley

"I'm also thinking of all the young people, particularly girls and girls of color, who ... will see an image of someone who looks like them hanging on the wall of this great American institution," she said. "I know the kind of impact that will have on their lives, because I was one of those girls." Michelle Obama



https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/02/12/585066637/paintings-of-barack-and-michelle-obama-unveiled-at-portrait-gallery

The Diggs Gallery is searching for an Art Handler! You can apply online using the link below! https://jobs.wssu.edu/post...
12/07/2017
Art Handler - REPOSTED

The Diggs Gallery is searching for an Art Handler! You can apply online using the link below!

https://jobs.wssu.edu/postings/7201

The Art Handler performs a variety of technical assignments in support of curatorial staff. Work assignments are in areas such as the construction and installation of exhibits from predetermined specifications, and/or processing valuable works of art through receipt, handling, maintenance, display,?...

Congratulations to our Director of Diggs Gallery, Endia Beal. Mrs. Beal's photograph was featured in ELLE Magazine's Sep...
08/24/2017

Congratulations to our Director of Diggs Gallery, Endia Beal. Mrs. Beal's photograph was featured in ELLE Magazine's September issue.

Join us for the opening of "Phantasmagoria" on March 24, 2017 from 5:30pm - 7:30pm. This exhibition merges the visions o...
03/13/2017

Join us for the opening of "Phantasmagoria" on March 24, 2017 from 5:30pm - 7:30pm. This exhibition merges the visions of young artists from two universities in Winston-Salem. For the first time, graduating seniors from Winston-Salem State University and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts will show together!

We're so pleased TE Connectivity's African Heritage group chose to visit Diggs Gallery for their Black History Month eve...
03/01/2017

We're so pleased TE Connectivity's African Heritage group chose to visit Diggs Gallery for their Black History Month event. "Do You See Me" officially closes this Friday so it was a pleasure for us to have another opportunity to share this exhibition with a group of first time visitors! We hope to see you all at future events and openings!

Address

601 S Martin Luther King Jr Drive
Winston-Salem, NC
27101

Opening Hours

Tuesday 11am - 5pm
Wednesday 11am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm

Telephone

(336) 750-2458

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's senior art exhibition goes virtual in the wake of COVID-19. Students in the Dept of Art + Visual Studies have curated the "AFTER NINE" exhibition online rather than a physical exhibition at Diggs Gallery. View our student portfolios here... https://bit.ly/3eAP7QS
Alanna from MUSE and Linda from the Winston-Salem African American Archive had a great time leading an African American History Tour for residents of Arbor Acres this week. Guests learned about the coliseum's namesake Lawrence Joel, Odd Fellows and Evergreen Cemeteries, the Happy Hill neighborhood, brick maker George Black, and so much more. Plus an enjoyable stop at Diggs Gallery on the campus of WSSU. Arbor Acres Diggs Gallery Winston-Salem African American Archive Winston-Salem State University
's Diggs Gallery, recently name the Best Fine Arts Program in the nation by HBCU Digest, is one of the top 10 African American galleries in the nation & one of the nation's best regional facilities for exploring contemporary African art.
In partnership with the African American Heritage Commission of N.C. and The Diggs Gallery at Winston-Salem State University, last weekend we brought together close to 30 artists of color from all over N.C. for a Strategic Planning Partners professional development workshop led by Creative Capital leaders, including North Carolina’s own Beverly McIver. Talented, professional visual artists, poets, choreographers, musicians, photographers and craftsmen spent the whole day talking about the necessary tools to manage artistic careers. They are pictured here in front of a mural created by Charlotte-based artist Georgie Nakima, who also attended the workshop! Stay tuned for future workshops!
Just some more LRB client love heading your way! Carol Eickmeyer thank you for choosing LRB and your agent Sue Kent. We love your art and can't wait to see more!

Read more about Carol and check out some of her favorite Winston-Salem spots like: Diggs Gallery​ & Piedmont Craftsmen
LRB BLOG- https://www.lrbrealestate.com/golrbblog
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