Grondahl: A portrait unveiling and Alice Green’s ongoing legacy
Robert Shetterly’s portrait of Alice Green includes a quote of hers about the George Floyd murder. It is on display through July 20 at the Albany Institute of History & Art with 42 other Shetterly portraits in his series of “Americans Who Tell the Truth.”
Charles Touhey, left, and Maine portrait artist Robert Shetterly unveil a portrait of the late civil rights activist Alice P. Green on Thursday at the Alice Moore Black Arts & Cultural Center in Albany's South End.
Artist Robert Shetterly stands with Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan in front of Shetterly's portrait of Alice Green as Green's husband, Charles Touhey, looks on.
Ta-Sean Murdock, center, executive director of the Center for Law & Justice talks about Alice Green's legacy as Mark Bob-Semple, director of the Alice Moore Black Arts & Cultural Center, and Green's husband, Charles Touhey, look on.
Leon Van Dyke, a founding member of The Brothers, a 1960s militant Black group that fought for equality for underserved neighborhoods in Albany, speaks about Alice Green as artist Robert Shetterly, left, and others look on.
ALBANY — When Maine artist Robert Shetterly removed a cloth covering and revealed the portrait of the late civil rights activist Alice P. Green at an unveiling ceremony Thursday, soft murmurs of appreciation rippled through the onlookers.
“I love how he captured the softness in Alice, but also the strong presence in her eyes asking us what are we all going to do next to speak truth to power,” said Charles Touhey, who helped the artist unveil the portrait of his wife, who died suddenly on Aug. 20, 2024 at 84 after suffering cardiac arrest following a bout of COVID-19.
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“I’m personally impressed with the quality of the likeness and the luminosity of the palette that allows her to glow,” said Kayla Carlsen, executive director of the Albany Institute of History & Art. “There’s a real softness to her smile, and the........
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