Black Civil War Art Comes To Columbia

by Diana Dickey

John Gourdin and his partners, wife Gloria and cousin Marvin W. Greene, have started a very unique business here in Columbia—it’s called Black Camisards.

Historically, Camisards were Protestants in France who rebelled against King Louis XIV in the year 1702 to restore their civil rights. The peasants were called Camisards after the black smocks they wore during night raids.

Black Camisards, Inc., markets limited edition works of art about the Civil War and, more specifically, art that represents the role the United States Colored Troops (USCT) played in that war. The USCT consisted of African Americans who fought in the Union Army. Although many of the USCT soldiers were free men before the war, most of them were former slaves who either volunteered or were forced to serve in the Union Army. There were over 178,000 colored troops serving in the Union Army. Black Camisards, Inc., hopes to preserve their legacy through its production of unique and quality works of art. Gourdin says that with this new venture, he hopes to bring to the public’s attention the contributions made by blacks in the Civil War.

John Gourdin became interested in his family’s genealogy and, after meticulous research, published a book of his family history in 1995. He has traced his ancestry back to France. During his research, he identified 10 Gourdins who served in the Civil War, and last year Heritage Books published his account of the Gourdins who all served in the same regiment.

Gourdin’s interest in this subject led him to become a volunteer with the Massachusetts Reenactment Group. He has also lectured extensively on black participation in the Civil War. For the last two years, he has been a presenter at the Annual Conference of Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society in Washington, D.C. One of the highlights of his speaking engagements occurred when he presented a paper on black participation in the Civil War at New York State University. After each lecture, people would ask about black art from this period, and he would explain that there was a very limited supply. But Gourdin had a vision, and thus the idea was born to create art that would reflect the black experience of the Civil War.

Gourdin began searching for artists who could accomplish his goals, and so far he has found three. The art they produce will be both lithographs and sculptures. Each edition will be limited to 1,715--the number of blacks who died on the battlefield during the Civil War. The first limited edition piece for Black Camisards will be by master pencil artist John Nelson and is titled The Price of Freedom. Nelson’s style is characterized by his very detailed drawings that reflect the moods and emotions of his subject.

Among those who appreciate and collect his work are Bill Cosby, Eddie Murphy and Black Enterprise magazine publisher, Earl Graves. His work is exhibited nationally, including at the White House Executive Office Building, Howard University and the State House in Annapolis.

Michael Anthony Brown is a painter and sculptor. His works are exhibited both nationally and internationally. Last March, he exhibited his works at the Artexpo Show in New York City. Brown is creating a series of limited edition sculptures of USCT soldiers for Black Camisards.

Laurence Hurst is a Baltimore artist known for his detailed arrangements of symbolic objects and geometric design elements. His works usually evoke an aura of mysticism and spirituality. They are exhibited around Maryland, including at the Civil War Surgeon and Medicine Museum in Frederick. Hurst’s first work for Black Camisards will be a pictorial representation of the Congressional Medal of Honor and the 16 USCT who earned it. A memorial to the USCT was dedicated in Washington, DC., on July 18, 1998. Gourdin is expecting that the dedication of the memorial will raise the awareness of black participation in the Civil War.

Black Camisards received help in starting the business from Ellin Dize, business counselor for the Maryland Small Business Development Center. Dize worked with Gourdin, telling him what he would need to start a business in Maryland and provided one-on-one counseling to make sure he accomplished all he needed to before they met with financial institutions, attorneys, accountants, etc. Dize also matches the client to the bank; in Gourdin’s case, Lois Warden, vice president of NationsBank, was a good match, and she provided the expert financial advice he needed to get his business up and running.

Warden said that Gourdin’s loan was very easy to process because the package was already prepared when he came in, and he and Dize had done their homework. The loan was approved in 24 hours, and Gourdin was ready to start Black Camisards.

Gourdin plans to market his business on the Internet, as well as with mailings. He will also continue to participate in lecturers and conferences whenever the opportunity presents itself. Right now, he’s very excited about the Grand Opening Event for Black Camisards. To learn more, visit the web site at: http://www.blackcamisards.com.