The Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design is pleased to announce the recent acquisition of the Larry M. and Gwendolyn E. Walker Collection of Art. This personal collection of over 330 works reflects the family’s lifelong devotion to art education, mentorship, and the creative community. This generous gift will serve our student body and faculty scholarship, inspiring archival research, material studies, curatorial opportunities, professional development, and public programming. Our first exhibition in a series of events will host a reception on February 6 (5:00-7:00 p.m.) in the Welch School Galleries. "Legacy: Selected Works from the Larry M. and Gwendolyn E. Walker Collection" offers a small glimpse into the rich pool of talent the Walkers collected over the years.
Larry Walker (1935-2023), acclaimed artist and GSU professor emeritus, was born in Franklin, Georgia in 1935, and spent most of his childhood and adolescent years in New York City. He holds a bachelors in arts education and masters in drawing and painting both from Wayne State University in Detroit. He recently exhibited a two-part retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Georgia (MOCA GA) in 2018, featuring his work in two installations; “The Early Years” (works from 1961-2005), and “The Later Years” (works from 2006-2017).
Walker, who was the first Black director of the Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design at Georgia State, befriended and mentored many artists over his lifetime, including students, faculty colleagues, and contemporary artists in Atlanta and the southeast. The Walker collection contains prints, photographs, drawings, paintings, collages, watercolors, and sculptures from a lifetime of travel and relationships with notable artists in his sphere of influence. It uniquely addresses 20th Century artistic production from luminaries such as Charles White, Radcliffe Bailey, Kevin Cole, and rising star (and alumna) Bethany Collins—all recipients of the generous mentorship that characterizes Larry's legacy. More personally, this collection includes the artistic production of the Walker family, with over 82 works of art from the children, including Kara Walker a MacArthur Fellow and internationally acclaimed artist.
The collection of over 300 works exemplifies these connections and supports the legacy of Larry Walker in advancing student education and professional development. Since Larry's passing, the Walker family has collaborated to ensure a smooth transition of the Collection from the Walker home to Georgia State's campus. Faculty and staff are grateful to Gwen Walker, Kara Walker and Larry Walker, Jr. for their generous service to this project.
The school looks forward to a future of programming and educational opportunities utilizing this invaluable resource. A dedicated committee of interdisciplinary staff and faculty has spearheaded efforts to plan for the long-term care and pedagogical use of the collection. Just this semester, a new course was established within the BIS in Arts Administration and BA in Art History programs to handle the collection, led by Dr. Jennifer Siegler and Cynthia Farnell, focused on Museum Practices. Artist talks, exhibitions, and relevant programming are in the works for the 2025-2026 academic year.
"Legacy" is the first event in a series that celebrates the Larry M. and Gwendolyn E. Walker Collection at Georgia State. It will showcase a "sampling" of the collection featuring work by globally renowned artists who were friends, colleagues, and students of Larry Walker. Alongside the exhibition, the Welch School Galleries are thrilled to host a solo exhibition of work by Yanique Norman, who was a mentee of Walker. Both open with a reception on February 6, 2025. To learn more or request accommodations, visit artdesign.gsu.edu/gallery. If you would like to honor Larry Walker's legacy with a gift toward his Collection at Georgia State, please click here to donate and learn more.