The Art & Legacy of Phillip J. Hampton Opening Lecture

Telfair presents a lecture by Erin Dunn and Dr. Peggy Blood exploring the art of Phillip J. Hampton. 6 pm Reception and 6:45 pm Lecture in Neises Auditorium. The program will also touch on Hampton’s impact on both Telfair and Savannah State University as well as personal remembrance. For 17 years, between 1952-1969, Hampton served as an influential visual arts professor and eventual department head at Savannah State College (today's Savannah State University). He was instrumental in building and expanding a developing arts program and planned arts festivals, taught art appreciation workshops, and organized exhibitions including the first exhibition of African American art at the Telfair Academy in 1959. 'Feels Like Freedom: Phillip J. Hampton,' alongside a companion exhibition 'The Early Years' at Savannah State’s Kennedy Fine Arts Gallery, will consider Hampton’s impact alongside and as part of the broader context of African American artmaking in the mid-20th century.