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Old photograph of a woman in a baggy work jacket standing in a slanted roofed attic with sculptures all around and a window in the back right.
Permanently on view

In the Studio
The Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller Collection

Danforth Art is proud to be the caretaker of the Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller Special Collection. This collection consists of ephemera, process pieces, studies, and other objects of art that expand upon some of the better-known aspects of Fuller’s oeuvre.

Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller (1877–1968), an American sculptor, is known for her groundbreaking depictions of the African and African-American experience. Throughout the 1910s and 1920s, she created intimate portraits of friends and family, self-portraits, and commissioned works for national and international expositions.  Anticipating themes of the Harlem Renaissance, Fuller used the figure as metaphor to represent broad themes as African-American artists and intelligentsia sought to formulate and celebrate an African-American cultural identity and express racial experience and social issues in America. Works such as the Study for Ethiopia Awakening and Study for the Spirit of Emancipation (both in the collection of the Danforth Art Museum) celebrate African heritage while expressing aspirations for the future.

The Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller Special Collection consists of ephemera, process pieces, studies, and other objects that expand upon some of the better-known aspects of Fuller’s sculptural work. The entire collection of 3D works and a selection of 2D plaques and medallions is on view in this gallery in open storage and in a re-creation of Fuller’s first studio in Framingham, which was in the attic of her home (c. 1920). The collection spans seventy years of creative output from Fuller’s early works in Paris, to her role as a precursor to and in the Harlem Renaissance, to her late works celebrating members of the African-American intelligentsia. The Danforth Art Museum is committed to the stewardship, exploration, and exhibition of this important collection, which will be continually on view at the Museum.

Check out this recent article in Magazine Antiques about Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, utilizing a number of images from the Danforth’s collection of her works.  Meta and her studio collection were also featured in Chronicle, which can be watched here!

Gallery: 204
Dates: Permanently on view
Participating artists: Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
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Young African American boy standing but slightly crouched carrying a clay jug on one hip with a second fallen over on its side by his feet.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Waterboy I , 1930, Painted plaster
African American man, seated with head tilted slightly upward with a tired, sad expression
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Lazy Bones II , 1933, Plaster
Bronze colored painted plaster bust of a young African American boy with short curly hair and a calm facial expression
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Bust of a Young Boy (Solomon Fuller, Jr.) , 1914, Painted plaster
Photograph of a sculpture in front of a black background. There are several figures in long twisting, flowing robes, all connected in a dancing mass, standing on a black oval platform.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Danse Macabre , 1914, Painted plaster
Reverse mold with a laurel wreath boarder containing busts of three African Americans, Sojorner Truth, Frederic Douglas, and Harriet Tubman.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Mold for Crusaders for Freedom , 1962, Plaster with mold release agent
Painted plaque with a wide decorative boarder with three men kneeling holding various objects and gold halos behind their heads.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Te Adoremus Domine , 1921, Painted plaster
Plaster statuette of three children gathered around a woman, seated reading a book.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Storytime , 1961, Painted plaster
Clay bust from waist up of a woman with head looking right and resting on her right hand.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Reverie , n.d., Plasticene
Photograph of an old book with a worn and faded green fabric cover.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Fuller Scrapbook , c.1897-c.1935, Scrapbook in green fabric cover
Bisque portrait bust of a young woman with short hair.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Self-Portrait , n.d., Unfired Clay
Standing figure of painted plaster with a mummy wrapping dress in tan and a woman emerging from the top with brown skin and a blue head dress.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Maquette for Ethiopia Awakening , 1921, Painted plaster
Small sculpture of a mother seated, hunched over, holding a small child barely visible on her lap.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Mother and Child (Sorrow) , c. 1914, Bronze
Red mold for a Phillis Wheatley Plaque
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Mold for Phillis Wheatley , n.d., Resin mold
Round plaque with a gold border surrounding a woman in profile from the shoulder up. She is wearing a blue hooded garment with red interior, and she has a halo behind her.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Mold of Sanctus , c. 1965, Painted plaster
Painted rectangular plaque of an African mother in a tan head scarf holding up and kissing a small baby.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Mother and Child, Painted plaster
Portrait bust on a tall rectangular base of an African man, looking slightly downward. His face is narrow and angular, with short cropped hair.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Negro Poet (Portrait of Maxwell Nicy Hayson) , c. 1920s, Painted plaster
Small clay sculpture of several child like figures under a large hand that is reaching out to them.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Maquette for Spirit of Emancipation , c. 1913 , Plaster
Sculpture on a wooden platform of a young boy scout looking out into the distance holding a pair of binoculars.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Boy Scout, Plaster
Photograph of a sculpture with a flat background, with a group of five females, two adults and three kids, embracing.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Immigrant in America , 1915, Plaster
Profile of a man, seated, holding a staff and wearing an ornate hat. Text to the upper right says "Menelik 2 King of the Kings of Ethiopia Emperor of Abyssinia 1864 to 1913"
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Menelik II in Profile , 1914, Painted plaster
Round plaque in brown with three medical and one patient in the center, surrounded by symbols of the medical field.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Model for Union Hospital , 1961, Painted plaster
Green square plaster plaque of a man's face in profile to the right. Below are the words 'Samuel Coleridge Taylor'.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Samuel Coleridge Taylor , 1914, Painted plaster
Small sculpture painted bronze of a woman standing with a raised flag, wind blow, in front of a mass of cloth and bodies of soldiers.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Victory Figure, Painted plaster
Small painted sculpture of a woman with her hair in a bun and wearing a loose flowing outfit, leaning against a hip-height wall.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, Woman Leaning on Wall , c. 1955, Painted plaster
Young African American boy standing but slightly crouched carrying a clay jug on one hip with a second fallen over on its side by his feet.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Waterboy I , 1930, Painted plaster

Gift of the Meta V.W. Fuller Trust, 2006.337

African American man, seated with head tilted slightly upward with a tired, sad expression
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Lazy Bones II , 1933, Plaster

Gift of the Meta V.W. Fuller Trust, 2006.335

Bronze colored painted plaster bust of a young African American boy with short curly hair and a calm facial expression
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Bust of a Young Boy (Solomon Fuller, Jr.) , 1914, Painted plaster

Gift of the Meta V.W. Fuller Trust, 2006.313

Photograph of a sculpture in front of a black background. There are several figures in long twisting, flowing robes, all connected in a dancing mass, standing on a black oval platform.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Danse Macabre , 1914, Painted plaster

Gift of the Meta V.W. Fuller Trust, 2006.312

Reverse mold with a laurel wreath boarder containing busts of three African Americans, Sojorner Truth, Frederic Douglas, and Harriet Tubman.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Mold for Crusaders for Freedom , 1962, Plaster with mold release agent

Gift of the Meta V.W. Fuller Trust, 2006.310

Painted plaque with a wide decorative boarder with three men kneeling holding various objects and gold halos behind their heads.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Te Adoremus Domine , 1921, Painted plaster

Gift of the Meta V.W. Fuller Trust, 2006.282

Plaster statuette of three children gathered around a woman, seated reading a book.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Storytime , 1961, Painted plaster

Gift of the Meta V.W. Fuller Trust, 2006.355

Clay bust from waist up of a woman with head looking right and resting on her right hand.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Reverie , n.d., Plasticene

Gift of the Meta V.W. Fuller Trust, 2006.389

Photograph of an old book with a worn and faded green fabric cover.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Fuller Scrapbook , c.1897-c.1935, Scrapbook in green fabric cover

Gift of Carnel Hoover, Eph1.41

To view the scrapbook in its entirety, click here!

Bisque portrait bust of a young woman with short hair.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Self-Portrait , n.d., Unfired Clay

Gift of the Meta V.W. Fuller Trust, 2006.321

Standing figure of painted plaster with a mummy wrapping dress in tan and a woman emerging from the top with brown skin and a blue head dress.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Maquette for Ethiopia Awakening , 1921, Painted plaster

Gift of the Meta V.W. Fuller Trust, 2006.331

Small sculpture of a mother seated, hunched over, holding a small child barely visible on her lap.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Mother and Child (Sorrow) , c. 1914, Bronze

Gift of Mrs. Robert MacPherson, 1975.16

Red mold for a Phillis Wheatley Plaque
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Mold for Phillis Wheatley , n.d., Resin mold

Gift of the Meta V.W. Fuller Trust, 2006.176

Round plaque with a gold border surrounding a woman in profile from the shoulder up. She is wearing a blue hooded garment with red interior, and she has a halo behind her.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Mold of Sanctus , c. 1965, Painted plaster

Gift of the Meta V. W. Fuller Trust, 2006.269

Painted rectangular plaque of an African mother in a tan head scarf holding up and kissing a small baby.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Mother and Child , Painted plaster

Gift of the Meta V. W. Fuller Trust, 2006.262

Portrait bust on a tall rectangular base of an African man, looking slightly downward. His face is narrow and angular, with short cropped hair.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Negro Poet (Portrait of Maxwell Nicy Hayson) , c. 1920s, Painted plaster

Gift of the Meta V. W. Fuller Trust, 2006.342

Small clay sculpture of several child like figures under a large hand that is reaching out to them.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Maquette for Spirit of Emancipation , c. 1913 , Plaster

Gift of the Meta V.W. Fuller Trust, 2006.311

Sculpture on a wooden platform of a young boy scout looking out into the distance holding a pair of binoculars.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Boy Scout , Plaster

Gift of the Meta V. W. Fuller Trust, 2006.412

Photograph of a sculpture with a flat background, with a group of five females, two adults and three kids, embracing.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Immigrant in America , 1915, Plaster

Gift of the Meta V. W. Fuller Trust, 2006.319

Profile of a man, seated, holding a staff and wearing an ornate hat. Text to the upper right says "Menelik 2 King of the Kings of Ethiopia Emperor of Abyssinia 1864 to 1913"
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Menelik II in Profile , 1914, Painted plaster

Gift of the Meta V.W. Fuller Trust, 2006.225

Round plaque in brown with three medical and one patient in the center, surrounded by symbols of the medical field.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Model for Union Hospital , 1961, Painted plaster

Gift of the Meta V. W. Fuller Trust, 2006.215

Green square plaster plaque of a man's face in profile to the right. Below are the words 'Samuel Coleridge Taylor'.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Samuel Coleridge Taylor , 1914, Painted plaster

Gift of the Meta V. W. Fuller Trust, 2006.153

Small sculpture painted bronze of a woman standing with a raised flag, wind blow, in front of a mass of cloth and bodies of soldiers.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Victory Figure , Painted plaster

Gift of the Meta V. W. Fuller Trust, 2006.329

Small painted sculpture of a woman with her hair in a bun and wearing a loose flowing outfit, leaning against a hip-height wall.
Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller
Woman Leaning on Wall , c. 1955, Painted plaster

Gift of the Meta V. W. Fuller Trust, 2006.390

“The Danforth Art Museum at Framingham State University is home to the largest collection of work and ephemera by the twentieth-century sculptor Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller. the Danforth—Plan Your Visit
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