{"object":[{"sourceId":{"label":"Source ID","value":"703"},"copyright":{"label":"Copyright","value":"Copyright for this work is under review."},"creditline":{"label":"Credit Line","value":"Gift of Sanford Smith and Patricia Smith"},"endDate":{"label":"End Date","value":"1975"},"sortNumber":{"label":"Sort Number","value":"1986    21    1"},"invno":{"label":"Accession number","value":"1986.21.1"},"description":{"label":"Description","value":"Picture: Religious picture with Scriptural references - on paper with ragged edges. Upper portion has white multi-level structures outlined in green set against pink/orange sky, amidst red and green trees outlined in yellow dots. White road, outlined in red, from LL leads to C and becomes horizontal highway - LC and LR of road are areas of trees and bushes. Inscriptions generally appear along road: L - \"come and and go to that land where I am bound. Promise land. St. John 14\" (?); LL - \"blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. St. Matthew 5:5\" C and R \"Paradise a name apparently denoting Heaven. Luke 23:43 (?) Rev 2:7 or that division of Hades assigned to the Just and Righteous. 2Cor 12:4\" R - \"New Jerusalem. Revelation 21.\" LL: dark-skinned female figure in white (artist) with outstretched arms, holding a book, facing R, going up a green strip that parallels the road. \"Sister Gertrude Morgan Missionary everlasting Gospel Teacher.\" Smaller figures and trees are along B - C and R in a defined area. LR quadrant \"behold I shew you a mystery called abraham's bosom. We shall not all stop (?). ICor 15:51.\"Frame: Brown burlap liner. narrow plain wood stained frame. Backing has reprint of May 8, 1970, \"Vieux Carre Courier article\" about the artist."},"medium":{"label":"Medium","value":"Acrylic and tempera on cardboard"},"geographyPlaceregion":{"label":"Place/Region","value":"New Orleans"},"media":{"label":"Media","value":{"mediaURL":"https://collection.folkartmuseum.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1856/full","mediaDepartment":"Object Photographs","mediaType":"Image","mediaId":"1856"}},"title":{"label":"Title","value":"New Jerusalem"},"geographyCity":{"value":"New Orleans"},"textEntriesWebsitedisplaytext":{"value":["Gertrude Morgan's artwork is directly related to her vocation as a street preacher and gospel singer. A committed member of the Baptist church during her childhood in Lafayette, Alabama, she moved to New Orleans in 1939 following a personal visionary experience. Believing that she had been called upon to devote her life to missionary work, she developed a vigorous preaching style and a deep, impressive singing voice. She also played several musical instruments.Morgan's ministry was not limited to street preaching. She founded a child-care center with two companions soon after arriving in New Orleans, and later, in the 1960s, she established the Everlasting Gospel Mission. She also painted. Using acrylics, tempera, crayon, and other media, and working on cardboard, paper, window shades, and a variety of utilitarian objects, she emphasized a redemptive message in her paintings. For this reason, the written word is integral to her colorful compositions, with texts more often than not drawn from the Book of Revelation and its apocalyptic imagery, or from other biblical sources, gospel songs, or her own prophetic visions. Morgan sold her paintings to help support the Everlasting Gospel Mission.The artist often included depictions of herself in her artworks. Here she is seen at the lower left, preaching from the Bible and dressed in sanctified white in the tradition of African American holiness groups. The main subject of the composition is the New Jerusalem as described in chapter 21 of the Book of Revelation, a seemingly endless source of inspiration for the artist. At the lower right, the dead are shown rising from their graves, an allusion to 1 Cor. 15:51\u201352: \"Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.\"Gerard C. Wertkin, \"New Jerusalem,\" in Stacy C. Hollander, American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 385.","I\u2019m a missionary of Christ before I\u2019m an artist. Give all the fame to some other artist. I work for the Lord.Just be sure and give Jesus credit for what I do. He\u2019s the one that deserves all the praise. He\u2019s the one that made me do it.\u2014Sister Gertrude MorganAt the age of thirty-eight, Sister Gertrude Morgan thought she heard a voice from God telling her to become a street evangelist. She left her family and husband to move to New Orleans, where she organized an orphanage with two other missionaries. The self became the medium for the divine message, and her paintings stood as visual aids for her new vocation. Morgan often included depictions of herself in her artworks, as in New Jerusalem, where she is seen at the lower left. There, she is preaching from the Bible, dressed in sanctified white in the tradition of African American Holiness groups. The main subject of the composition is the New Jerusalem as described in chapter 21 of the Book of Revelation, a seemingly endless source of inspiration for the artist. At the lower right, the dead are shown rising from their graves, an allusion to 1 Cor. 15:51\u201352: \u201cBehold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.\u201dValérie Rousseau, \u201cNew Jerusalem,\u201d exhibition label for Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum. Stacy C. Hollander and Valérie Rousseau, curators. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2014.","I\u2019m a missionary of Christ before I\u2019m an artist. Give all the fame to some other artist. I work for the Lord.Just be sure and give Jesus credit for what I do. He\u2019s the one that deserves all the praise. He\u2019s the one that made me do it.\u2014Sister Gertrude MorganAt the age of thirty-eight, Sister Gertrude Morgan thought she heard a voice from God telling her to become a street evangelist. She left her family and husband to move to New Orleans, where she organized an orphanage with two other missionaries. The self became the medium for the divine message, and her paintings stood as visual aids for her new vocation. Morgan often included depictions of herself in her artworks, as in New Jerusalem, where she is seen at the lower left. There, she is preaching from the Bible, dressed in sanctified white in the tradition of African American Holiness groups. The main subject of the composition is the New Jerusalem as described in chapter 21 of the Book of Revelation, a seemingly endless source of inspiration for the artist. At the lower right, the dead are shown rising from their graves, an allusion to 1 Cor. 15:51\u201352: \u201cBehold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.\u201dValérie Rousseau, \u201cNew Jerusalem,\u201d exhibition label for Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum. Stacy C. Hollander and Valérie Rousseau, curators. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2014.","Paradise a name apparently denoting heaven Luke 23:45 \u2014Sister Gertrude Morgan When the Lord calls, you answer with a glad heart. That is what Gertrude Williams Morgan did when in 1934 she received a revelation, telling her to sing and spread the word of the gospel. Morgan was born in Alabama, and moved as a teenager with her family to Columbus, Georgia. Here, she became an active member of Rose Hill Memorial Baptist Church and, in 1928, married Will Morgan. In 1939, Morgan received another divine message directing her to leave the social norms of family, husband, job, and place, and travel back to Alabama, and then to Louisiana to do God\u2019s work. Now self-identified as \"Sister,\" Morgan arrived in New Orleans without any premeditated plans or means of support, trusting in the Lord to show her the way. She soon joined forces with two strong women, Mother Margaret Parker and Sister Cora Williams, and together they operated a small chapel and child-care center. The Holiness and Sanctified Faith the women followed promoted communication with God through joyous music and dance. Sister Morgan was gifted with a deep and full-throated voice that she used as a powerful tool to raise money for their mission, accompanying herself on tambourine and guitar. In 1957, she received an annunciation, revealing that she was now joined with her redeemer as the Bride of Christ. After that date she discarded her habitual black robes and was always garbed in all-white. This was also about the time that she began to make the word of God manifest through brilliant amalgams of word and image captured in paint and pen on whatever materials were at hand. If there was no paper or cardboard, she would embellish toilet paper rolls, fans, window shades, Styrofoam trays, and other unorthodox materials. Sometime between 1963 and 1965, Morgan moved into a small white shotgun house on North Dorgenois Street in the lower ninth ward. This became her own \"Everlasting Gospel Mission.\" The simple interior of this domestic house of worship was as pure white as her robes, creating a heavenly atmosphere without earthly distractions from the spiritual work at hand. Morgan began painting numerous versions of John the Apostle\u2019s apocalyptic vision of the New Jerusalem after around 1966. She often included depictions of herself, recognizable through her white clothes, as the teacher or narrator of the events described in the Book of Revelation she holds in her hand. She fills all the spaces around pictorial elements with copious biblical texts. At the lower right are the righteous risen who will join the saviour in the new city: \"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed,\" 1 Cor. 15:51\u201352. Morgan\u2019s ecstatic visions came to the attention of a New Orleans gallerist and entrepreneur named E. Lorenz \"Larry\" Borenstein in 1960. He arranged for showings of her art, preaching \"performances,\" and even recorded her mesmerizing singing and chanting. For many years, their partnership provided the exposure, recognition, and financial stability that permitted her to evangelize without the burden of survival on the street of New Orleans. In 1974, Sister Gertrude Morgan received another revelation. The money she generated through her art was unacceptable to God. She must stop and devote herself instead to the written word: her poetry. Sister Gertrude Morgan died in 1980, and was buried in a pauper\u2019s grave.Stacy C. Hollander, \"New Jerusalem, c. 1970\" exhibition copy for American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2020. Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.　To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org"]},"bibliography":{"label":"Bibliography","value":"Treasures of Folk Art: Museum of American Folk Art"},"collections":{"label":"Collections","value":"Paintings"},"geography":{"label":"Geography","value":"New Orleans"},"id":{"label":"Id","value":"152712"},"geographyState":{"value":"Louisiana"},"signed":{"label":"Signed","value":"in ink and pencil upper right: 'Sister Gertrude Morgan'; in paint lower left in image: 'Sister Gertrude Morgan Missionary everlasting Gospel Teacher'"},"geographyCountry":{"value":"United States"},"onview":{"label":"On View","value":"0"},"people":{"label":"Artist / Maker","value":{"displayOrder":"1","personRole":"Artist","personID":"1080","content":"Sister Gertrude Morgan"}},"classifications":{"label":"Classification(s)","value":"Paintings"},"textEntries":{"label":"Text Entries","value":["Gertrude Morgan's artwork is directly related to her vocation as a street preacher and gospel singer. A committed member of the Baptist church during her childhood in Lafayette, Alabama, she moved to New Orleans in 1939 following a personal visionary experience. Believing that she had been called upon to devote her life to missionary work, she developed a vigorous preaching style and a deep, impressive singing voice. She also played several musical instruments.Morgan's ministry was not limited to street preaching. She founded a child-care center with two companions soon after arriving in New Orleans, and later, in the 1960s, she established the Everlasting Gospel Mission. She also painted. Using acrylics, tempera, crayon, and other media, and working on cardboard, paper, window shades, and a variety of utilitarian objects, she emphasized a redemptive message in her paintings. For this reason, the written word is integral to her colorful compositions, with texts more often than not drawn from the Book of Revelation and its apocalyptic imagery, or from other biblical sources, gospel songs, or her own prophetic visions. Morgan sold her paintings to help support the Everlasting Gospel Mission.The artist often included depictions of herself in her artworks. Here she is seen at the lower left, preaching from the Bible and dressed in sanctified white in the tradition of African American holiness groups. The main subject of the composition is the New Jerusalem as described in chapter 21 of the Book of Revelation, a seemingly endless source of inspiration for the artist. At the lower right, the dead are shown rising from their graves, an allusion to 1 Cor. 15:51\u201352: \"Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.\"Gerard C. Wertkin, \"New Jerusalem,\" in Stacy C. Hollander, American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 385.","I\u2019m a missionary of Christ before I\u2019m an artist. Give all the fame to some other artist. I work for the Lord.Just be sure and give Jesus credit for what I do. He\u2019s the one that deserves all the praise. He\u2019s the one that made me do it.\u2014Sister Gertrude MorganAt the age of thirty-eight, Sister Gertrude Morgan thought she heard a voice from God telling her to become a street evangelist. She left her family and husband to move to New Orleans, where she organized an orphanage with two other missionaries. The self became the medium for the divine message, and her paintings stood as visual aids for her new vocation. Morgan often included depictions of herself in her artworks, as in New Jerusalem, where she is seen at the lower left. There, she is preaching from the Bible, dressed in sanctified white in the tradition of African American Holiness groups. The main subject of the composition is the New Jerusalem as described in chapter 21 of the Book of Revelation, a seemingly endless source of inspiration for the artist. At the lower right, the dead are shown rising from their graves, an allusion to 1 Cor. 15:51\u201352: \u201cBehold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.\u201dValérie Rousseau, \u201cNew Jerusalem,\u201d exhibition label for Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum. Stacy C. Hollander and Valérie Rousseau, curators. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2014.","I\u2019m a missionary of Christ before I\u2019m an artist. Give all the fame to some other artist. I work for the Lord.Just be sure and give Jesus credit for what I do. He\u2019s the one that deserves all the praise. He\u2019s the one that made me do it.\u2014Sister Gertrude MorganAt the age of thirty-eight, Sister Gertrude Morgan thought she heard a voice from God telling her to become a street evangelist. She left her family and husband to move to New Orleans, where she organized an orphanage with two other missionaries. The self became the medium for the divine message, and her paintings stood as visual aids for her new vocation. Morgan often included depictions of herself in her artworks, as in New Jerusalem, where she is seen at the lower left. There, she is preaching from the Bible, dressed in sanctified white in the tradition of African American Holiness groups. The main subject of the composition is the New Jerusalem as described in chapter 21 of the Book of Revelation, a seemingly endless source of inspiration for the artist. At the lower right, the dead are shown rising from their graves, an allusion to 1 Cor. 15:51\u201352: \u201cBehold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.\u201dValérie Rousseau, \u201cNew Jerusalem,\u201d exhibition label for Self-Taught Genius: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum. Stacy C. Hollander and Valérie Rousseau, curators. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2014.","Paradise a name apparently denoting heaven Luke 23:45 \u2014Sister Gertrude Morgan When the Lord calls, you answer with a glad heart. That is what Gertrude Williams Morgan did when in 1934 she received a revelation, telling her to sing and spread the word of the gospel. Morgan was born in Alabama, and moved as a teenager with her family to Columbus, Georgia. Here, she became an active member of Rose Hill Memorial Baptist Church and, in 1928, married Will Morgan. In 1939, Morgan received another divine message directing her to leave the social norms of family, husband, job, and place, and travel back to Alabama, and then to Louisiana to do God\u2019s work. Now self-identified as \"Sister,\" Morgan arrived in New Orleans without any premeditated plans or means of support, trusting in the Lord to show her the way. She soon joined forces with two strong women, Mother Margaret Parker and Sister Cora Williams, and together they operated a small chapel and child-care center. The Holiness and Sanctified Faith the women followed promoted communication with God through joyous music and dance. Sister Morgan was gifted with a deep and full-throated voice that she used as a powerful tool to raise money for their mission, accompanying herself on tambourine and guitar. In 1957, she received an annunciation, revealing that she was now joined with her redeemer as the Bride of Christ. After that date she discarded her habitual black robes and was always garbed in all-white. This was also about the time that she began to make the word of God manifest through brilliant amalgams of word and image captured in paint and pen on whatever materials were at hand. If there was no paper or cardboard, she would embellish toilet paper rolls, fans, window shades, Styrofoam trays, and other unorthodox materials. Sometime between 1963 and 1965, Morgan moved into a small white shotgun house on North Dorgenois Street in the lower ninth ward. This became her own \"Everlasting Gospel Mission.\" The simple interior of this domestic house of worship was as pure white as her robes, creating a heavenly atmosphere without earthly distractions from the spiritual work at hand. Morgan began painting numerous versions of John the Apostle\u2019s apocalyptic vision of the New Jerusalem after around 1966. She often included depictions of herself, recognizable through her white clothes, as the teacher or narrator of the events described in the Book of Revelation she holds in her hand. She fills all the spaces around pictorial elements with copious biblical texts. At the lower right are the righteous risen who will join the saviour in the new city: \"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed,\" 1 Cor. 15:51\u201352. Morgan\u2019s ecstatic visions came to the attention of a New Orleans gallerist and entrepreneur named E. Lorenz \"Larry\" Borenstein in 1960. He arranged for showings of her art, preaching \"performances,\" and even recorded her mesmerizing singing and chanting. For many years, their partnership provided the exposure, recognition, and financial stability that permitted her to evangelize without the burden of survival on the street of New Orleans. In 1974, Sister Gertrude Morgan received another revelation. The money she generated through her art was unacceptable to God. She must stop and devote herself instead to the written word: her poetry. Sister Gertrude Morgan died in 1980, and was buried in a pauper\u2019s grave.Stacy C. Hollander, \"New Jerusalem, c. 1970\" exhibition copy for American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2020. Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.　To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org"]},"beginDate":{"label":"Begin Date","value":"1965"},"displayDate":{"label":"Date","value":"c. 1970"},"exhibitions":{"label":"Exhibitions","value":[{"exhibitionDisplayDate":"Wednesday, September 27, 2017 - Thursday, February 8, 2018","exhibitionEndISODate":"2018-02-08","exhibitionID":"214","exhibitionISOBeginDate":"2017-09-27","exhibitionBeginDate":"2017","exhibitionTitle":"Highlights from Self-Taught Genius","exhibitionEndDate":"2018"},{"exhibitionDisplayDate":"Tuesday, February 24, 2004 - Sunday, October 10, 2004","exhibitionEndISODate":"2005-05-28","exhibitionID":"122","exhibitionISOBeginDate":"2004-02-24","exhibitionBeginDate":"2004","exhibitionTitle":"Tools of Her Ministry","exhibitionEndDate":"2005"},{"exhibitionDisplayDate":"Tuesday, May 13, 2014 - Sunday, August 17, 2014","exhibitionEndISODate":"2014-08-17","exhibitionID":"171","exhibitionISOBeginDate":"2014-05-13","exhibitionBeginDate":"2014","exhibitionTitle":"Self-Taught Genius","exhibitionEndDate":"2014"},{"exhibitionDisplayDate":"Saturday, May 22, 2021 - Sunday, October 8, 2023","exhibitionEndISODate":"2023-10-08","exhibitionID":"245","exhibitionISOBeginDate":"2021-05-22","exhibitionBeginDate":"2021","exhibitionTitle":"American Perspectives (Travel)","exhibitionEndDate":"2023"},{"exhibitionDisplayDate":"Wednesday, November 17, 1999 - Sunday, November 21, 1999","exhibitionEndISODate":"2000-05-14","exhibitionID":"96","exhibitionISOBeginDate":"1999-11-17","exhibitionBeginDate":"1999","exhibitionTitle":"Millennial Dreams","exhibitionEndDate":"2000"},{"exhibitionDisplayDate":"1993\u20132001","exhibitionEndISODate":"2001-10","exhibitionID":"64","exhibitionISOBeginDate":"1993-10-05","exhibitionBeginDate":"1993","exhibitionTitle":"America's Heritage","exhibitionEndDate":"2001"},{"exhibitionDisplayDate":"Tuesday, February 11, 2020 - Sunday, January 3, 2021","exhibitionEndISODate":"2021-01-03","exhibitionID":"239","exhibitionISOBeginDate":"2020-02-11","exhibitionBeginDate":"2020","exhibitionTitle":"American Perspectives","exhibitionEndDate":"2021"},{"exhibitionDisplayDate":"Saturday, September 17, 1994 - Sunday, January 15, 1995","exhibitionEndISODate":"1995-01-08","exhibitionID":"300","exhibitionISOBeginDate":"1994-09-17","exhibitionBeginDate":"1994","exhibitionTitle":"Text and Context","exhibitionEndDate":"1995"},{"exhibitionDisplayDate":"Thursday, July 11, 2002 - Sunday, January 5, 2003","exhibitionEndISODate":"2003-01-26","exhibitionID":"73","exhibitionISOBeginDate":"2002-07-11","exhibitionBeginDate":"2002","exhibitionTitle":"American Anthem","exhibitionEndDate":"2003"}]},"dimensions":{"label":"Dimensions","value":"12 x 19 \" (30.5 x 48.3 cm)Frame: 16 x 23 x 1 3/4 \" (40.6 x 58.4 x 4.4 cm)"}}]}