This year marks the 100th birthday of Woody Guthrie. An article in The New York Times a few weeks back offers an interesting perspective on the celebrations surrounding the 100th birthday of Woody Guthrie.
Do you know much about Woody? I have to admit that I knew his name, that he was a singer and he wrote "This Land Is Your Land," and that was about the depth of my Woody Guthrie knowledge.
Guthrie is best known for being a singer/songwriter who chronicled the hardships of the American people, his people. Married at a young age, and with three small children to support, Woody Guthrie made the trek across the United States from Texas to California looking for work after the Dust Bowl made it nearly impossible for him to find a job. Leaving his family behind, and enduring a grueling journey looking for work, only added fuel to Guthrie's musical career.
Did you know he was also an artist? He began drawing cartoons and caricatures, and then moved on to painting, drawing, sculpting and more. His passion for visual arts continued on throughout his life, and even provided an income for him at times. Guthrie often made a living as an advertising designer, portrait artist, sign painter and other visual arts marketing trying to provide for his family throughout his journey.
Walton Arts Center is proud to host a new archival exhibit titled Woody at One Hundred: The Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration 1912-2012 . The exhibition was unveiled Friday, August 24 in partnership with the Fayetteville Roots Festival and Woody Guthrie Archives, and will remain in the Joy Pratt Markham Gallery through September 20. Admission to the gallery is free and open to the public.
This exhibit consists of a collection of Woody Guthrie's lyrics, diaries, notebooks, correspondence, photographs, artworks, and includes reproduction items, featuring Woody's original handwritten lyric "This Land Is Your Land", providing a broad overview of Woody's creative legacy dated from 1932-1955.
We hope you'll stop by our gallery, and discover a side of Woody Guthrie you may or may not have known about!