Miss Alma Thomas: A Life in Color

Miss Alma Thomas: A Life in Color

Directed by Cheri Gaulke
Produced by Jon Gann
Alma W. Thomas, a Black woman artist, broke color barriers on and off the canvas.

Videos

Trailer

Overview

Genre
Arts, Cultural History, Minorities, and Biography
Synopsis

Born a generation after slavery, Alma Woodsey Thomas grew up in the South, in a home where education was a priority. At 16, with racial tensions high and no further schooling options, her family moved to Washington, DC, where she started her incredible life of firsts: the first Fine Arts graduate from Howard University (1924), the first African-American Woman to mount a solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art (1972), and the first African-American woman to exhibit her paintings in the White House (2009). All the while, she taught art at Shaw Jr. High for 36 years, pioneered educational techniques, travelled the world, and crossed racial barriers. Yet she did not receive national attention until six years before she passed.

“Miss Alma Thomas” is the first documentary film that explores Thomas’ incredible life through the lens of curators, art specialists, scholars, and her family, and award-winning actress Alfre Woodard as the voice of Miss Thomas. Released in conjunction with

Stage
finished
Running time
20 minutes

Credits

Production Details

Prod. Co.
Reel Plan
Country
United States
Years of Production
2021
Locations
Washington, DC

Distribution Details

Release year
2021
Festivals
35+ to date
Awards
Numerous
Distribution
Cinema Guild
Language
English
Subtitles
English

Photos

Ed33814b8568f88a6f8ae49901d3685a

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