Through art, the past can come alive. This is the approach that Tony Bingham, winner of the 2024 Southern Prize for Visual Arts, embraces when creating artwork that honors Black lives and stories of the past. Bingham’s visit to Wofford aligned with Black History Month as his work delves into the stories of rural African American people through themes of spirituality, celebration, trauma and rebirth.
Dr. Michael Webster, assistant professor of studio art, is teaching a community-based art course this semester, suggested by Tony as his work aligns well with the course.
“Tony is a storyteller. He uses the pinhole camera and discarded materials to commune with his ancestors and uncover obscure histories,” Webster said.
Bingham’s artwork includes an array of different textures and mediums such as blending photography, sculpture, performance and creating a multi-sensory experience that bridges generations.
“I have always enjoyed hearing stories of African American people because their stories bring a personal experience to the ways in which they navigated living in the segregated Jim Crow South,” Bingham said.
One of his profound works, “Bearing Witness: Praise House Shadows” is a site specific sculpture, dedicated to the Wallace Plantation, a location rich in history.
When asked about his experience cultivating the project and walking onto the plantation, Bingham described feeling a sense of honor, acknowledging the labor of those who built it.
“I wanted to monument the hands who built the house– the slaves who turned the trees into a house through their hard work. I look at the work they did,” Bingham said.
The Praise House, an integral part of the plantation’s history, is located in a secluded grove of trees. The field surrounding it is adorned with daffodils, a sight that deeply resonated with Bingham.
“The daffodils made me feel as if mother nature remembers each voice uttered, and each daffodil represents those voices,” Bingham said.
The inauguration of Bingham’s site sculpture at the Wallace Plantation brought together an audience that included descendants of both enslaved people and slate owners, fostering a moment of shared history and reflection. On these grounds, bringing in these families together allowed for different perspectives to connect and time to acknowledge the history that lay within those grounds.
Bingham’s “Praise House Shadows” is designed to evolve throughout the day, with natural light shaping its meaning. At dawn, the shadows cast by the sculpture symbolize the brokenness left in the wake of the original church’s destruction. At sunset, the second wall church emerges, signifying the cycle of rebirth and resilience.
Bingham’s work corresponds to bringing to life forgotten narratives of the lives and legacies of those often left out of historical records. It is imperative to learn the history behind the growth of this country as there are many untold stories yet to be heard.
“I make art in response to those conversations, observations and life lessons,” Bingham said.
Bingham encourages an audience full of promising art students to take advantage of learning about and mastering their craft.
“If the time permits, explore the techniques across as many mediums as you can. Afterwards your lifelong quest is going to be to find yourself and to express yourself through those arts,” Bingham said.
Bingham’s visit to Wofford was a reminder of how art can be used to preserve the stories of the past and further established for present and future generations to learn about. As Black History Month allows us to reflect on African American heritage and culture, Bingham’s artistry allows these untold stories to be heard.
