Exhibition Guide

A painting of a group of five children with dark skin who appear to pause and pose on a grassy area near a beach and a body of water.

Stephen Towns. When We Were Young. 2022. Courtesy of the artist. © Stephen Towns

A painting of a group of five children with dark skin who appear to pause and pose on a grassy area near a beach and a body of water.

When We Were Young

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Art Object Info

Stephen Towns

Medium:
Acrylic, oil, and metal leaf on panel
Date:
2022

These works by Stephen Towns depict Paradise Park in Ocala, Florida. Opened in 1949 on May 20—Emancipation Day in Florida—Paradise Park was one of the few vacation spots open to African Americans in the United States at the time and quickly became one of the most popular. Drawing from extensive archival research and photographs, Towns introduces the visitors of Paradise Park through richly textured and vibrant quilts and paintings. Despite segregation and discrimination outside Paradise Park, these works represent African Americans freely at play and in moments of leisure.

Towns was born in 1980 in Lincolnville, South Carolina, and lives and works in Baltimore. He is a trained painter with a B.F.A. in studio art from the University of South Carolina and has also developed a rigorous, self-taught quilting practice. Alternating between media practices, Towns mines archives and family stories to explore African American history.

Courtesy of the artist BMA

When We Were Young

Stephen Towns
Date:
2022
Medium:
Acrylic, oil, and metal leaf on panel

These works by Stephen Towns depict Paradise Park in Ocala, Florida. Opened in 1949 on May 20—Emancipation Day in Florida—Paradise Park was one of the few vacation spots open to African Americans in the United States at the time and quickly became one of the most popular. Drawing from extensive archival research and photographs, Towns introduces the visitors of Paradise Park through richly textured and vibrant quilts and paintings. Despite segregation and discrimination outside Paradise Park, these works represent African Americans freely at play and in moments of leisure.

Towns was born in 1980 in Lincolnville, South Carolina, and lives and works in Baltimore. He is a trained painter with a B.F.A. in studio art from the University of South Carolina and has also developed a rigorous, self-taught quilting practice. Alternating between media practices, Towns mines archives and family stories to explore African American history.

Courtesy of the artist BMA