Minnie Evans
(1892–1987)
Place bornLong Creek, North Carolina
Place diedWilmington, North Carolina
BiographyMinnie Evans was raised primarily by her grandmother, who taught her the waking visions that she experienced as a child were signs and wonders from God. Strongly religious throughout her life, she affirmed that from a young age she had an intense interest in mythological and historical subjects. She created her first drawings in 1935, after she heard a voice in a dream asking, “Why don’t you draw or die?” Five years later, she created small abstract works in graphite and wax crayon—some containing figurative elements like faces and eyes—that she often preciously carried on herself. From the late 1940s, her art reflects the rich floral environment of Airlie Gardens, where she was working as a gatekeeper. Angels, seraphim, winged devils, serpents, and mythical animals emerge across dense floral landscapes, recalling the compositions of mediumistic artists like Madge Gill and Raphaël Lonné.Valérie Rousseau, exhibition label for Six Decades Collecting Self-Taught Art: Revealing a Diverse and Rich Artistic Narrative. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2019.