Nellie Mae Rowe
(1900–1982)Nellie Mae Rowe’s depictions of friends, neighbors, and herself combine fantasy and autobiography, and center celebrations of confidence, beauty, and joy.
Biography
Nellie Mae Rowe came to artmaking as a child. Born in Fayette County, Georgia, she attended just a few years of school before spending the rest of her childhood working on her family farm. Her parents’ handcrafting skills—her father in baskets and mother in quilts—made an impression on her at a young age, and she often snuck away from field work to draw and make dolls. However, her creativity took a backseat when, at the age of sixteen, she married Ben Wheat and moved to Vinings, a town outside of Atlanta. For the next thirty years, she worked in domestic services.
In 1948, after her second husband died, Rowe filled their house and garden with her creations: dolls made of old stockings, found objects, painted figures made of chewing gum, and drawings and collages. Rowe devoted the remainder of her life to her practice following the death of her longtime employers in the 1960s. By 1971, her creations and home installation attracted attention from art students and collectors, and led to Rowe’s representation by dealer Judith Alexander, who opened Atlanta’s first gallery devoted to folk art. Through this exposure, Rowe earned money for her work and gained access to higher-quality materials. Many of her drawings involve an array of elements, including animals, houses, trees, and human figures. Her depictions of friends, neighbors, and herself combine fantasy and autobiography, and center celebrations of confidence, beauty, and joy.
Following a cancer diagnosis in 1981, Rowe passed away in 1982. Her home and creative installation—which Rowe called her “playhouse”—were dismantled and torn down shortly after her death. The Studio Museum has presented her work in exhibitions including The Fine Art of Collecting II (1985); Nellie Mae Rowe: An American Folk Artist (1986); and The Studio Museum in Harlem: 25 Years of African American Art (1993).
Nellie Mae Rowe
(1900–1982)Nellie Mae Rowe’s depictions of friends, neighbors, and herself combine fantasy and autobiography, and center celebrations of confidence, beauty, and joy.
Green Parrot, 1980
Biography
Nellie Mae Rowe came to artmaking as a child. Born in Fayette County, Georgia, she attended just a few years of school before spending the rest of her childhood working on her family farm. Her parents’ handcrafting skills—her father in baskets and mother in quilts—made an impression on her at a young age, and she often snuck away from field work to draw and make dolls. However, her creativity took a backseat when, at the age of sixteen, she married Ben Wheat and moved to Vinings, a town outside of Atlanta. For the next thirty years, she worked in domestic services.
In 1948, after her second husband died, Rowe filled their house and garden with her creations: dolls made of old stockings, found objects, painted figures made of chewing gum, and drawings and collages. Rowe devoted the remainder of her life to her practice following the death of her longtime employers in the 1960s. By 1971, her creations and home installation attracted attention from art students and collectors, and led to Rowe’s representation by dealer Judith Alexander, who opened Atlanta’s first gallery devoted to folk art. Through this exposure, Rowe earned money for her work and gained access to higher-quality materials. Many of her drawings involve an array of elements, including animals, houses, trees, and human figures. Her depictions of friends, neighbors, and herself combine fantasy and autobiography, and center celebrations of confidence, beauty, and joy.
Following a cancer diagnosis in 1981, Rowe passed away in 1982. Her home and creative installation—which Rowe called her “playhouse”—were dismantled and torn down shortly after her death. The Studio Museum has presented her work in exhibitions including The Fine Art of Collecting II (1985); Nellie Mae Rowe: An American Folk Artist (1986); and The Studio Museum in Harlem: 25 Years of African American Art (1993).