Nellie Mae Rowe American, 1900-1982

Born in Fayette County, Georgia, at the turn of the 20th century, Nellie Mae Rowe showed an early passion for art, creating drawings and cloth dolls as a child. However, the demands of farm life, an early marriage, and years of domestic labor left her with little time to pursue her artistic calling. It wasn’t until the 1960s—following the deaths of her second husband and longtime employers—that Rowe fully dedicated herself to art, embracing it as her life’s work. Her practice was immersive, deeply personal, and filled with joy. 

Rowe’s art often reflected themes of girlhood, play, and spirituality, expressed through autobiographical drawings, experimental sculptures, and depictions of her Playhouse—a vibrant, ever-evolving environment she built and lived in for decades. This space was both a declaration of her independence and a testament to her ability to create with the materials at hand. During the final 15 years of her life, she pursued her artistic vision with renewed purpose, reclaiming the creativity of her childhood and seeking self-liberation in the shifting cultural landscape of the post-civil rights South. 

New York Times art critic Roberta Smith described Rowe’s work as "exuberantly celebratory—of her God, her world, and herself." She noted that Rowe’s art resonates with a wide range of influences, from modernists such as Paul Klee and Marc Chagall to American nonconformists Roy DeForest, Gladys Nilsson, Bob Thompson, and Emma Amos. These connections, Smith argued, speak less to direct influence and more to a shared creative spirit, one that defies conventional boundaries between high and low art, trained and self-taught, insider and outsider. 

Rowe embraced recognition in both Atlanta and New York, once predicting that her work would make her "famous"—a vision that proved true. Her legacy endures as a testament to the power of self-expression, resilience, and the boundless joy of creation.