Artists Terry Dixon and Robert Morris to Exhibit at the DC Public Library

Works Inspired by Douglas Blackmon's 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winning book

01.11.2010 – (Washington, DC) – An art exhibition opening at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library February 1^st promises to also open the eyes of the nation to the tragic fact that slavery in the South continued for decades after the end of the Civil War.

“Most Americans believe and were taught throughout school that slavery ended with the Civil War,” said Terry Dixon, a Chicago-based artist who, along with Georgia artist Robert Morris will open an exhibition at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library February 1^st from 6:30-8:30. “But that is not what happened.”

Inspired by Douglas Blackmon’s 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Slavery by Another Name: The Re-enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II, exhibit activities will include lectures by Dixon, Morris and Blackmon.

“What happened,” says Morris, “is that freed African Americans were re-enslaved through a systematic, corrupt and venal system that bought and sold men to corporate interests throughout the South. This exhibition seeks to reawaken the souls of those who were never given proper burial, voice or acknowledgement of their unbridled suffering so clearly documented by Doug Blackmon.”

“Eluding Jim” by Terry Dixon is influenced by African art and culture. “Middle Passage” by Robert Morris employs acrylic on gesso board and actual news articles from the era announcing the arrival of slave ships sailing into Savannah, Ga. The joint exhibition also depicts African-Americans being forced to work for free from 1865 to 1945 through abstract digital images with acrylics, oil pastels and inks. In addition, the exhibit features video interviews of Blackmon discussing how state government and judicial systems worked with major industrial corporations to continue what amounted to slavery.

The exhibit, which runs through February 28, is part of the DC Public Library’s Black History Month celebration. The library’s Black History event schedule is available at dclibrary.org.

Key Dates:

Opening Reception with Terry Dixon and Robert Morris
Mon, February 1st at 6:30 p.m.
Terry Dixon and Robert Morris will talk about their work.

Slide Presentation by Terry Dixon and Robert Morris
Tues, February 23rd at 5:30 p.m.

Douglas Blackmon Author Talk, Book Sale and Book Signing
Tues, February 23rd at 6:30 p.m.
Books will be available for purchase.