Returning Home: A Life’s Retrospective
Those who live in Portland know Edward Renard “Nardie” White. His and
his family’s roots run deep in the community, himself a third-generation resident. He spent his early adulthood working with the Portland Boys and Girls
Club, a staple space among the memories of Portland’s fellow long-timers.
Gordon Brown – who served as Director of the Boys and Girls Club during
White’s tenure before moving on to being President / CEO of Home of the
Innocents for 21 years – has this to say about the White family legacy:
“The Whites were an anchor family for the Black Community on Lytle
street in Portland. They were leaders in bridging the racial gap in the neighborhood which was very tough to penetrate in those days. The Whites were distinguished, had high aspirations for their children and were cherished friends of
both black and white residents. Nardie is a product of this great family.”
From there, White would discover a passion for working with children,
leading to his co-founding of Louisville’s River City Drum Corp, a vital after-school organization that for over 30 years now has utilized Pan-African
rhythm culture to mentor West End youth.
Ed White officially retired from the Corp in 2019, as chronicled in the acclaimed 2020 documentary River City Drumbeat, leaving it in the capable
hands of a mentee. In most other accounts, this would have been the beginning
and end of a rich life’s story. However, White has been quietly fostering his
interests in being a multimedia artist since childhood. Having graduated from
Jefferson Community College with an associate degree in commercial photography, he has both examined his locality and traveled the world with camera in
tow. For years he utilized these skills as a professional photographer, and for
more years as an outlet of personal expression. Since his retirement, White has
also begun to explore ceramics and large-scale multimedia sculpture, exhibited
last year at Louisville’s Shawnee Public Library. Even more recently White
has earned the titles of 2022 Community Scholar from the Filson Historical
Society, and Oral Historian from the Kentucky Arts Council, with a focus on
preserving the stories of his hometown congregation of the Portland Memorial
Baptist Church. But not even these additions fully recount the ever-evolving
story of Ed “Nardie” White.
On February 20th, 2022, Portland Museum will be officially opening Edward R. White, Returning Home: A Life’s Retrospective, a sweeping exhibition featuring over one-hundred pieces made by White over the last thirty years
of his life. Now in his seventh decade on earth, White has designed and curated
this show as a personal reemergence into his community. Having been an artist
privately for most of his life, White is now ready to be recognized as one.
White’s photography is focused on the medium’s ability to capture essence,