Columbus artist Cynthia Golden-Frasier was verifying some records as President of the Columbus Artists’ Guild, when her internet search turned up an astonishing surprise: a portrait she’d painted more than a decade ago is now part of the permanent collection of the Barack Obama Presidential Library.
Golden-Frasier had completed the painting as a labor of love for her dearfriend and patron, Pastor Adair Washington, of Indianapolis, Indiana. Washington called the painting “Michelle Obama: A Fabulous First Lady,” and told Golden-Frasier that she’d be sending it to the White House as a gift for the First Family.
“She informed me…that it would go through months of rigorous security screening with the Secret Service. After that, I assumed the piece has simply found its home in Washington, D.C., and I didn’t expect to hear anything further,” Golden-Frasier recalls.
And she didn’t.
Not until last week, when Golden-Frasier’s fated online search showed that the portrait, which pictures First Lady Michelle Obama with her daughters, Natasha “Sasha” Obama and Malia Obama, popped up on the official site of the National Archives.
Golden-Frasier called the discovery of her painting’s journey “an incredible and joyful surprise,” while also noting that the revelation was “bittersweet,” as Washington died of cancer in 2021 and did not know that her commissioned gift had reached such heights.
“Knowing her vision, generosity, and belief in my art live on in such a historic archive is truly a profound tribute to her memory,” Golden-Frasier said.
Golden-Frasier is an award-winning painter and fine art educator, whose artistic focuses are portraiture, and African American and Native American culture and traditions. For more information, please contact Cynthia Golden-Fraiser at https://cynthiagoldengallery.com.
Georgia artist’s work featured in the Obama Presidential Library
