Alma Thomas Animation for WETA Arts on WETA PBS
This animation was created for a local TV program called WETA Arts, where a local artist is highlighted every episode. This episode was about Alma Thomas – a DC-native painter who created success in the fine art world, all while being forced to fight the racism and sexism of D.C in the 1920’s.
A map of DC showing the delineation of racist borders in the 1920’s – highlighting 16th Street, Franz Bader Gallery by the White House, and Alma Thomas’ house in Northwest DC.
Video transcript: After the Howard show, (Alma) Thomas started being represented by the Franz Bader Gallery. Every time she went to the gallery, she crossed 16th Street – the street that unofficially marked how far west a Black Washingtonian should be.
Still of the zoomed in DC map from the animated video.
The dark blue represents the predominantly Black DC neighborhoods, and the yellow represents the side of DC where Black people were unwelcome and would be policed. The map looks like a bright tattered quilt – showing age, beauty, and history.
Zoomed out view of the DC map from the animated video.
Below are some drafts of the map from pre-production:
