Alabama man turns 112, still spends days drawing

[Starbucks Anarchist]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080720/ap_on_re_us/elderly_artist

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Bent over or sitting at a table, gripping a ballpoint pen, marker or crayon, Frank Calloway spends his days turning visions from his youth into lively murals — and at 112 years old, the images of his childhood are a window to another time.

Drawn on sheets of butcher paper and sometimes stretching to more than 30 feet long, the works mostly show rural agricultural scenes, with buildings, trains and vehicles straight out of the early 20th century. And his colorful creations are gaining more attention in the art world.

The works by a man who has lived about half his life in state mental health centers will be part of an exhibit this fall at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. His caretakers have suspended sales of his artwork until after the show after finding out some of his drawings could sell for thousands of dollars.

"They are unique in that they are of a rural, agrarian South, and they speak to a time gone by," said Sara Anne Gibson, executive director of the Kentuck Museum in Northport, Ala., which hosted a monthlong exhibition of Calloway's works two years ago.

(Much more at link)

[MsTryska]

1. Wow - i wish they had an example of his work...

what a fascinating story.

[ghostsofgiants]

2. I hope I'm still making art when I get anywhere close to that age.

[trof]

3. Photo of Frank and more of his story:

At age 112, Frank Calloway is one the oldest citizens in the United States. He has been a resident of one of several Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation (DMHMR) facilities since 1952. Currently, he resides at the Alice Kidd Nursing Home on the historic Bryce Hospital campus in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Calloway is an incredible man in many respects. He is kind and gentle in nature, has a great smile and dresses impeccably. Typically, he loves to wear his new tennis shoes, blue overalls and a cotton dress shirt. He has his own room at Alice Kidd and is a celebrity among his fellow residents and staff. Over the past few years, his celebrity status has deservedly increased due to a unique talent that he possesses.

Calloway, affectionately called “Mr. Frank,” has become quite famous as a folk artist. All day he sits or stands at a table and draws incredible pieces of art on long rolls of butcher paper. He draws farm scenes, street cars, wagons and houses, images that are part of his memory. The images have vibrant colors that stem from Mr. Frank’s artistic flare, and the medium he most frequently uses is crayons. Ten-, 20- and 30-foot murals of red horses, purple mules and delightfully dressed passengers in their wagons are typical of Calloway’s scenes. Using a ballpoint pen, crayons and an elaborately contrived numbering system, Calloway creates pieces of art that are absolutely unique to his style.

Over the past five years, the Alabama DMH/MR has featured his work in its annual Consumer Art Exposition. Twice the event was held at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, and for the last three years it was held in the State Capitol. Additionally, a photograph of Calloway and his work was on the cover of the state phone book in 2002, and he was a featured artist at the Kentuck exhibit in Northport, Ala. in 2007. Predictably, the high point of Mr. Frank’s artistic career thus far is expected to occur in October, when his work will be displayed at the American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) in Baltimore, Md. AVAM opened to the public in 1995, has since received numerous awards and is appreciated as one of the premier museums in the world.

Visionary art is different from folk art. The essential difference between the two, though both may at times use similar materials and methods, is that visionary artists don’t listen to anyone else’s traditions. They invent their own. Rebecca Hoefburger, the founder of AVAM says they chose Calloway’s work because of “his intuitive grasp of math and the colorful execution of his living memories.” After a visit with Mr. Frank, she stated that she had never seen the level of conscious care in any other mental health facility provided by the staff at Alice Kidd for Calloway

Many of the employees at Alice Kidd have worked with him their entire careers.

“They are, in essence, his family,” said John Houston, commissioner of the Alabama DMH/MR.

Calloway has lived an extraordinarily long life. Last year, the director of Alice Kidd asked him if there was anything he would like to do that he had never done.

Mr. Frank thoughtfully replied, “I’d like to see the ocean.”

A few weeks later, he was sitting in a “beach friendly” wheel chair with waves from the Gulf at the Alabama coast spattering his feet.

“It’s so big,” he said, “You can’t see all the way across it!”

Happy 112th birthday, Mr. Calloway … and many more.

[u4ic]

5. I'm so glad his wish came true

:)

[trof]

4. K.

[u4ic]

6. I love this story

It shows how extraordinary "ordinary" people can be.

I wish him much health and happiness, and many more birthdays.

[Orangepeel]

7. Good for him! The Visionary Art Museum is fantastic

http://www.avam.org/

[Heidi]

8. Kick for Mr. Calloway!

:kick:

[Maddy McCall]

9. Awww....such a sweet story.

I love him. :loveya:

[applegrove]

10. Amazing that he still has his eyesight.