Sammie Nicely Folk Art Clay Face Mask Sculpture, Afroamerican Appalachian 1990s

  

Sammie Nicely Folk Art Clay Face Mask Sculpture, Afroamerican Appalachian 1990s. Condition: Excellent original fired condition, mounted inside of a shadow box and protected by glass. Signed and dated on the back of the mask.

Signed on the matte board. Sammie Nicely died May 23, 2015.

This is a fired clay face mask meant to be wall hung. It is mounted in a gilt frame shadow box on neutral matte and signed by the artist. Finish has heavy texture and gradient multi-color-earth-tone and bright spectrum colors.

Sammie Nicely Clay Face Mask Dimensions: 11-inches tall, 7-inches wide, and 2.75-inches. Shadow Box Frame Dimensions: 21.25-inches tall, 16.25-inches wide, 3-inches deep. Approximate Total Weight: 7 pounds. Signed on the matte board and on the back of the clay face mask.

Several of these masks are on permanent display in museums throughout the US (see his art bibliography below), and are very hard to find for sale. From the estate of prominent art collector in the Atlanta area. As an artist, my work is an extension of myself and helps me to better understand my cultural heritage.

It is a crucial means of self-understanding. I see art as the medium through which such understanding can be attained. I create art for self-satisfaction and a way of communicating with others. My art serves as a common ground for communication where each person has to bring their own identity into play in order to appreciate my work.

Sammie died May 23, 2015. He became a member of Piedmont Craftsmen in 1997. Sammie Nicely was born in Russellville, TN.

Degree in art education from Middle Tennessee State University with graduate studies in sculpture at the Arrowmont School of Art and Crafts in Gatlinburg. Nicely works in a variety of media. His pit-fired ceramic masks fuse Native American and African art traditions and techniques to create visual images inspired by ritual and everyday life. Nicely has extensive experience as a master teacher at all levels with a vast array of populations. Although Nicely currently lives and works in Atlanta, GA, he maintains strong ties with Eastern Tennessee. He is the co-founder of the "From Africa to Appalachia Foundation" dedicated to exposing African/African American visual and performing art to people in Appalachia. Since 1986, the foundation has presented an annual celebration and exhibition at the Rose Center in Morristown, TN. Sammie became an Exhibiting Member in 1997. Reece Museum at East Tennessee State University. JOHNSON CITY - Multifaceted artist Sammie Nicely is an artist-in-residence for the fall semester at the Reece Museum at East Tennessee State University. His residency represents a first for the museum and was made possible by community supporters. Nicely, a man of many talents, is difficult to label, according to Randy Sanders, interim director of the Reece Museum.

"Referring to him only as a contemporary folk artist, " Sanders says, diminishes his work as an art educator, a master teacher. Calling him a regional artist undercuts his broad understanding of African and African American art. This fall, as part of his Reece Museum residency program, Nicely will work with students at Northside Elementary School and with youth at the Carver Recreation Center.

He will ask them to respond artistically to artifacts from his personal art collection and to artifacts specially selected from the Reece Museum's collection. According to Nicely, It is very important for students to see their work matted and framed as part of the finished product. This residency gives me the opportunity to showcase my personal collection of African and African-American art as well. In early 2015, Nicely will curate "Children Respond to Material Culture, " an exhibition at the Reece Museum of the students' work. Later in 2015, he will curate a second Reece Museum exhibit drawn from his personal art collection and related pieces from other non-ETSU collections. We are excited to have Mr. Nicely curating these exhibitions, Sanders said. Showcasing the exuberant art of children and a second exhibit illustrating his discerning eye and vast connections with other collectors of African American art is a win-win combination for ETSU and the Reece Museum. Finally, Nicely will deliver two lectures this fall: one about what his experiences in the public schools have taught him about art education in general and African American art education, specifically; and a second about his extensive network of African American art collectors. The dates, times, and locations of these lectures will be announced at a later date.

The Reece Museum, a unit of the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services, is free and open to the public. Sammie Nicely, Samuel Louis Nicely. Coursework, Morristown Junior College, Morristown, Tennessee.

BS Art Education, Coursework in Sculpture & Weaving, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Graduate Coursework in Ceramics & Drawing, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Sculptural Studies, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Artist in Residence, Tennessee Arts Commission, Nashville, Tennessee.

Artist in Residence, South Carolina Arts Commission, Columbia, South Carolina. Art Teacher, Upward Bound Program, Tusculum College, Greenville, Tennessee. Co-Founder, Director, From Africa to Appalachia Foundation, Morristown, Tennessee. Owner, Operator, Nicely Art Center, Russellville, Tennessee. Instructor, Out Reach workshop, Ft. Sanders Educational Development Center, Knoxville, Tennessee. Samuel Louis'Sammie' Nicely is known for his stoneware and mixed media sculpture and drawing. Nicely uses a combination of slab, pinch and coil techniques to develop his sculptural forms. Nicely is also known for his pit-fired and mixed media masks that reference African and Southern Appalachian art.

His work is an expression of the way Nicely's African roots contrast with prevalent European traditions. In a departure from ceramics for which he is best known, Nicely also created a large series of pastel drawings. BellSouth Telecommunications, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia. Carroll Reese Museum, Eastern Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee. Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia.

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia. Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, Wilberforce, Ohio. Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville, Tennessee. Exhibit a Tribute to Art and Life of Sammie Nicely. The Daily Post-Athenian, February 3, 2016.

Wampler, Angela, "Black History: Artwork Inspired by African Heritage, " A! Magazine for the Arts, January 31, 2012. "Artists Three" Folk Artists Play Off of What They Find. Knoxville News Sentinel, December 5, 1989.

Reece Museum receives collection from Nicely estate. JOHNSON CITY (May 25, 2021) - East Tennessee State University's Reece Museum recently received a donation of 50 artworks from the Sammie L.

That year, he worked with youth at Johnson City's North Side Elementary School, the Carver Recreation Center after-school program, and students in the Department of Art and Design at ETSU. This item is in the category "Art\Art Sculptures". The seller is "usadsi" and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped to United States, Denmark, Switzerland, New Zealand, Chile, China, Republic of Croatia, Indonesia, Portugal, Malta, Cyprus, Australia, Austria, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Bulgaria, Poland, Macau, Czech Republic, Norway, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Greece, Romania, Mexico, Ireland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, Japan, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Thailand, Bahrain, United Kingdom, Hungary, Sweden, Colombia, Spain, Estonia, Belgium, Kuwait, Finland, Luxembourg, South Korea, France, Germany, Latvia, Italy, Singapore, South Africa.

• Time Period Produced: 1990-1999
• Artist: Sammie T. Nicely
• Unit of Sale: Single Piece
• Signed By: Sammie Nicely
• Size: Medium
• Signed: Yes
• Material: Clay
• Item Length: 11 in.
• Region of Origin: Tennessee, USA
• Subject: Masks
• Type: Clay Face Mask
• Format: Clay
• Year of Production: 2002
• Original/Licensed Reproduction: Original
• Item Height: 2.25 in.
• Style: Folk Art
• Features: One of a Kind (OOAK), Shadow Box Frame
• Production Technique: Fired Clay W/ Glazes
• Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
• Culture: Afroamerican Appalachian
• Item Width: 7 in.