Annie Greene, an artist and educator, was recently awarded the prestigious Lillian C. Lynch Citation for her contributions to African American cultural education and service. The award was presented at the 2023 Black Art and Culture Awards at the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens. Named after Lillian C. Lynch, a charter member of the Athens chapter of the Links, the award honors African American leaders who have made significant contributions to African American cultural education and service.
Background and Work
Annie Greene has been an artist and educator for many years. She discovered yarn paintings while working as an art teacher in Troup County. Yarn paintings were originally created by the Hichol Indian people of western Mexico. As a teacher, she saw a similar activity using yarn in a magazine and decided to create a lesson for her students. Later, she began producing larger versions of yarn paintings and noticed that the demand for that medium grew. After retiring from the Troup County School System, she traveled throughout Georgia and eastern Alabama teaching and demonstrating the process of creating yarn art.
Approach to Art
Annie Greene’s approach to art is unique. She creates works that are meaningful and memorable, allowing people to reminisce and reflect. She is an artist some people happen to think of as a storyteller. She uses her art to capture moments in time, especially during the era when she was growing up. Her work has a folk-art feel that focuses on everyday living that spans the time from the forties through today. She fills sheets of watercolor paper with colorful and sometimes humorous images from everyday life. Her images generally focus on themes of church, family, and community.
Acknowledgments
“The first to inspire and encourage me were my parents, Rev. Henry Tarver and Ella Mae Tarver. I watched my father draw pictures and my mother gave me a pencil and paper to entertain myself while she played piano during church services,” Greene said. “I thank my sister, the late Ida Florene Jones who helped me recall details from our summers on the farm. I thank my husband, Oliver Greenee, Sr., my children, Zinta Perkins and Dr. Oliver N Greenee, Jr., and my grandchildren, Nicole and William Perkins — they are supportive in all that I do.”
