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The Suffolk Art League recently presented the Suffolk Public Library with the newest item in the collection “Everything is Beautiful,” the catalog of the recent Alma Thomas Exhibition at the Chrysler Museum of Art.

Every year, the Suffolk Art League donates an art-related book or collection of books to enhance the Suffolk library’s collection. This year, the league was able to support both the library and a local art museum by purchasing the selected book from the Chrysler Museum shop.

The catalog is a timely and important addition to the library’s collection, the league said in a news release.

Thomas, an American painter whose colorful, large-scale abstractions were associated with the Washington Color School, is known for her legacy both as an educator and a trailblazer for Black artists. She was the first Black female artist to secure a solo show at a major American museum, as well as the first to have her work acquired and put on display at the White House.

The Chrysler Museum co-curated the exhibition with the Columbus Museum of Art, and the collection of paintings, documents and historical ephemera will go on to travel to the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., the Frist Museum in Nashville and finally to the Columbus Museum of Art, providing audiences a new perspective on the artist’s life and work.

The catalog provides “stunning full-color photos of Thomas’ work as well as fascinating biographical and contextual information about her life.”

“The book is a work of art exploring a truly phenomenal artist; the Suffolk Art League hopes its inclusion in the collection of the Suffolk Public Library will inspire a new generation of artists to pick up a paintbrush and dream big, just like Alma,” the organization said in its news release.

For more information call 757-925-0448 Tuesdays through Thursdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., email suffolkartleague.education@gmail.com or visit www.suffolkartleague.com or social media platforms on Facebook and Instagram (@suffolkartleague).