Shirley Woodson was born in Tennessee in 1936. She grew up and still lives in Detroit. It's her city, her muse. Now 86, the artist recently opened her first-ever solo exhibition at her hometown museum, The Detroit Institute of Arts. "Shirley Woodson: Shield of the Nile Reflections" features 11 of her big, vibrant canvases depicting black bathers in rivers. On this episode of MC, we chat with the busy-as-ever artist and with Valerie Mercer, the exhibition's curator and head of the DIA's Center for African American Art.
A Star Is Born (at 86)
![One of the works on display in "Shirley Woodson: Shield of the Nile."](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d89b8d2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/350x275+0+0/resize/880x691!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd3%2Fc2%2F7e4e37eb4b6187288b7c890daac7%2Fshirley-woodson-reflections-and-flowers-2006-acrylic-on-canvas.jpg)
"Reflections and Flowers," 2006, Shirley Woodson, American; acrylic on canvas.
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Image via https://www.dia.org/woodson.