Minnie Evans was a gatekeeper at a North Carolina garden who began drawing because a voice in a dream told her to, and the results are dense, symmetrical worlds of eyes, wings, blossoms and saturated color. This survey, organized by the High Museum of Art, covers nearly five decades and reopens a story the Whitney started when it gave her a solo show in 1975. It is the strongest argument in town that the phrase self-taught explains almost nothing.
What to expect
Galleries of small, intensely worked drawings and collages that reward standing close: layered wax crayon, graphite and oil, with faces embedded in petals and borders that repeat like textile patterns. Wall texts trace Evans's life in the Jim Crow South and her decades working at Airlie Gardens, which supplied much of the botanical vocabulary.
Good to know
- Take the A/C/E or L to 14th Street, then walk west toward Gansevoort Street
- Visitors 25 and under get in free under the Whitney's admission program
- The works are small and detailed, so allow time to look rather than sweep through
- Combine it with the outdoor terraces for High Line views before you leave
- Strollers are permitted and the galleries are step-free
- Weekday mornings are the quietest window
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Common questions
Who was Minnie Evans?
A self-taught Black artist from Wilmington, North Carolina who worked as a gatekeeper at Airlie Gardens and made visionary drawings and collages from 1935 to 1981.
Where did the exhibition come from?
It was organized by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and curated there by Katherine Jentleson; Barbara Haskell organized the Whitney presentation.
Is it included with admission?
Yes, it is covered by general admission, and free for visitors 25 and under.
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