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Powder Plant

Thornton Dial American
2013
Not on view
Powder Plant suggests both the dangers of industrial advancement and the possibility of rebirth out of destruction. The assemblage likely refers to the Hercules Powder plant, which supplied dynamite to mining operations north of Dial’s hometown of Bessemer from 1924 to 1986, when it closed. Two deadly nitroglycerin explosions at the plant in the 1970s were omens of the subsequent collapse of the steel and iron industry. This piece’s muted color palette gives it an archaeological quality, as if the object had been removed from a heap of rubble. The powder also recalls ash, conjuring the adapted biblical phrase: "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." Thus, the word "plant" takes on double meaning, referring to both the factory and the natural regeneration of life from death and decay.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Powder Plant
  • Artist: Thornton Dial (American, Emelle, Alabama 1928–2016 McCalla, Alabama)
  • Date: 2013
  • Medium: Sheet metal, sawdust, commercial paint, and adhesive on canvas on wood
  • Dimensions: 66 × 60 × 3 in. (167.6 × 152.4 × 7.6 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Souls Grown Deep Foundation from the William S. Arnett Collection, 2014
  • Object Number: 2014.548.3
  • Rights and Reproduction: © Estate of Thornton Dial/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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The End of November: The Birds That Didn't Learn How to Fly, Thornton Dial American, Quilt, wire, fabric, and enamel on canvas on wood
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