“Noah’s Ark: Life Source” is a steel sculpture by Charles McGee. This piece is inspired by the quote, “big is the head that thinks and drinks deep from the spigot of eternal knowledge and quenches the thirst of inquisitive minds with life sustaining freshwater.” The final stop on this tour is a bit farther from the others, however its message functions as an important conclusion to the tour. “Noah’s Ark: Life Source” encourages curiosity and a continuing desire to learn more about our world and others who share it. As McGee explains, his art is about “the power of togetherness. It’s all connected just like we are all connected.” This statement embodies the very hope for this tour; to bring people together and connect them by crossing the bridge of communication and culture.

Charles McGee is a Detroit native. He is known for charcoal drawings, paintings, photography, sculptural works and large scale murals which explore the Black experience and his love of nature. While his work varies in style and medium, his commitment to bringing energy and life to a space through all of his pieces is consistent. Throughout his career, he has become a major figure in the Detroit art community. In 1969, McGee put together the first show of all Black artists in Detroit. He and other Black creators were fenced out of the mainstream galleries, so he founded Gallery 7 as a place to promote Black artists and serve as a forum for art in his neighborhood. McGee realized his passion for teaching young artists at his gallery and he formed his own school that offered free art lessons to kids in the community. He taught many of these lessons outside of the classroom and he encouraged his students to collect things from outside and bring them to the studio. As McGee explains, “I wanted the children to learn that art is everything and everything is art.” He went on to teach at Eastern Michigan University and subsequently became the director of the university’s Sill Gallery. His work can be seen both regionally and nationally and his actions are known to have significantly influenced the Detroit arts community and contributed even more generally to the broadening inclusivity of American art in the late-20th century.

Visit “Noah’s Ark: Life Source” near 1400 Brush Row Road Wilberforce, OH 45384-1004