McKissick Museum to feature exhibit honoring memory of filmmaker Helen Hill

McKissick Museum will honor the life and work of the late Helen Hill, a Columbia native who was an experimental artist, animator, filmmaker and activist, in an exhibit May 3 – August 9.

Hill was murdered in January 2007 by an unknown intruder in her New Orleans home; her murder remains unsolved.

The exhibit, titled “The Dresses of Florestine Kinchen: A Tribute to Helen Hill,” explores Hill’s last film, which is about Florestine Kinchen, a self-taught, African-American seamstress, and the dresses she created.

The project was proposed to McKissick by Hill’s mother, who says the exhibit promotes the museum’s study of Southern traditional arts and African-American culture and identity while also preserving Helen’s lifework.

“These dresses were very important to our daughter, and she really wanted to honor Florestine Kinchen,” said Dr. Becky Lewis, an assistant professor of women’s studies. “She loved the story, and she loved the dresses. She would even wear them on special occasions. She really wanted to promote Kinchen’s work and African-American art in general.”

Hill discovered the hand-sewn dresses, more than 100 in all, in a trash pile, where they had been tossed after Kinchen’s death. She salvaged as many of the dresses as possible, and began to develop a concept for a film. Hill’s husband, Dr. Paul Gailiunas, is finishing the film, and it is expected to premier in Columbia this fall.

“What is remarkable about this project is the union of these two artistic figures, Hill and Kinchen,” said curator Jason Shaiman. “Although they never met, their lives were united, and their artistic explorations meshed through the preservation of cultural identity and the personal touch that they applied to their respective art forms.”

A reception, tea party and gallery talk will take place in McKissick’s second-floor lobby from 5:30 – 7 p.m. Friday, May 9, which is Hill’s birthday.

Hill’s passion for film began during her years at Brennan Elementary School, where she made her first award-winning film in sixth grade. She later turned her attention to writing and photography, but rediscovered film in 1988 when she enrolled at Harvard University.

The exhibit will be displayed in the museum’s North Gallery on the second floor and combines works by Hill and Kinchen, including about 30 of Kinchen’s dresses featuring a variety of patterns, colors and materials. Film clips from Hill’s earlier films and a brief clip from the upcoming film about Kinchen also will be featured.

After graduation and marriage to Gailiunas, she released “Mouseholes,” the film that put her on the map, while the couple was living in Nova Scotia. In 2000, the couple moved to New Orleans.

Hill was survived by her husband, her son, Francis Pop Gailiunas, and her parents, Drs. Kevin and Becky Lewis, who are both on the University of South Carolina faculty.

McKissick is the only Columbia museum to offer free regular admission. Located on the university’s historic Horseshoe, the museum features two permanent collections and a number of rotating temporary exhibits and provides educational and cultural programming. McKissick is open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. It is closed Sundays and holidays.

For additional information on “The Dresses of Florestine Kinchen: A Tribute to Helen Hill,” contact Jason Shaiman or Ja-Nae Epps at 803-777-7251. For more information about McKissick Museum, visit www.cas.sc.edu/mcks.