A unique art exhibition featuring work by a former Greenwood resident is coming to the Museum of the Mississippi Delta.
“Reuben Hale: A Retrospective” will be available to view beginning Friday through April 2. An opening reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the museum. The exhibition will feature more than 50 pieces of Hale’s work, including large sculptures, holograms, paintings, watercolors, pastels, drawings and photographs.
“Hale’s work is incredibly versatile and extraordinary in so many ways,” said Katie Mills, executive director of the Museum of the Mississippi Delta. “In keeping with the museum’s passion to exhibit the work of Delta artists, it is a tremendous honor to be the first venue to host a retrospective exhibition of Hale’s work since his passing in 2018.”
Hale was born in 1927 in Belzoni and moved to Greenwood with his family in 1934. He graduated from Greenwood High School and then joined the U.S. Navy, serving in World War II. After the war, he attended the University of Mississippi on the GI Bill. He later transferred to the School of Art Institute of Chicago. There, he developed a strong background in classical art. Then, he studied abstract expressionist painting with Hans Hofmann and Paul Burlin, both renowned painters and teachers, and sculpture with Reuben Nakian, an American sculptor and teacher whose work themes were from Greek and Roman mythology.
Hale received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Southern Illinois University. He accepted a position as an art instructor at Palm Beach Junior College, now Palm Beach State College, and relocated to Florida. During his tenure from 1961 to 1992, he served as the college’s chairman of fine arts and chairman of humanities. After retiring, he served as the executive director of the college’s Duncan Theatre and Lannan Art Museum.
“Not only was he an artist, but he was also an advocate for the arts,” said Mills. “He had a long career in education and teaching.”
Hale’s parents remained in Greenwood, and he frequently visited. At 90 years old, he died at his home in West Palm Beach, Florida. He was buried in Odd Fellows Cemetery in Greenwood.
His obituary stated that Hale “held high the standard that teachers be ‘active and vital in the art world.’ His own painting and sculpting nonstop, Reuben’s artwork was exhibited across the U.S. and Europe.”
A theme of many of his pieces, especially his sculptures, highlights the changing status of women in society.
Hale had said about the theme of his work, “With all the technological and scientific development of the 20th century, I believe the change in status of the female will be one of the most significant and powerful sociological developments because of a more emotional, personal and human nature.”
Hale witnessed the revolution of the status of women in society from pre-World War II up until his death in 2018.
“He was so forward thinking about women and expressed that through his art. He enjoyed seeing the progression of women and their role in society throughout his life,” said Mills. “It’s neat to see that reflected in his art.”
Mills met Hale’s daughter, Irma Hale, in November 2020 when she attended the museum’s Lalla Walker Lewis exhibit. His daughter had started a foundation for her father to display and promote his work, and soon after meeting, the two began to plan for the retrospective exhibit.
“I’m very excited to be bringing so much of my father’s work to Greenwood,” said Irma Hale. “I spent every summer there with my grandparents when I was growing up, so it is my home, too. This is our first big exhibition since we started Reuben’s foundation, and I’m absolutely thrilled that it’s going to be back in Greenwood.”
Irma Hale, who resides in Florida, will attend the museum’s opening reception.
“It really took a lot of dedication on the part of Irma to get this here, and her passion for her father’s work is contagious,” said Mills. “It’s an honor that she chose Greenwood as the first place.”
The reception will include light refreshments. After it opens, the exhibition can be viewed at the museum during its hours of operation, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
For more information, call the museum at 662-453-0925.
- Contact Ruthie Robison at 581-7235 or rrobison@gwcommonwealth.com.
Help solve a mystery
Here is a portrait of a girl that was painted by artist Reuben Hale. The girl is unidentified, but Hale’s daughter, Irma Hale, believes the painting is of a girl from Greenwood or with Greenwood ties. Irma Hale will be bringing the portrait for the exhibit “Reuben Hale: A Retrospective” in hopes of finding out information about the painting. “We want to see if we can identify the person in the portrait,” said Katie Mills, executive director of the Museum of the Mississippi Delta. “It looks like it might be a debutante or graduation picture.” Mills encourages anyone who may have any information about the identity of the girl to call the museum at 662-453-0925.
