Roland Ayers was one of those local artists who was a friend and mentor to a few people but was largely unknown to many. For years, he ran the Friends of the Free Library of Philadelphia bookstore until Alzheimer’s began to take away his memories of himself and his art.
Some years ago, I picked up a lovely painting by Ayers that the auction house titled “The Corner Store,” dated 1981. It was saturated with the color orange and brilliantly stood out among the other paintings on the wall at the auction house. By the time I got around to writing about him, he was living in a senior care center. Ayers died in 2014.
I was able to get a very good picture of both the artist and the man from his wife Sheila. I reproduced my blog post about Ayers in my newly published book “Art With Heart: How I Built a Sweet Collection by Buying Cheap at Auction.” His was a wonderful story worth retelling.
Ayers was an unheralded artist, one of many. The Woodmere Art Museum is helping to get him noticed through an exhibit that runs until Oct. 24, 2021. Titled “Roland Ayers: Calligraphy of Dreams,” the exhibition primarily features works from his later life – the surreal pen and ink drawings that he embedded with social issues.
Among Ayers’ works is a drawing of Paul Robeson in all his talents: actor, singer, orator, activist. The museum is focusing on Robeson as part of the exhibition based on his ties to Philadelphia. He lived here the last 10 years of his life in the home of his sister in West Philadelphia. That house is now the Paul Robeson House & Museum, which is planning events with the Woodmere in the next two months.
As part of the collaboration with Woodmere, I will be presenting and signing my book at the house, where I am a volunteer. You can buy “Art With Heart” at amazon.com.
Read more about a book, watch a trailer and listen to an excerpt at sherryhoward.com.
