Fighters for freedom : William H. Johnson picturing justice / Virginia M. Mecklenburg ; with an introduction by Lonnie G. Bunch III ; contributors, Tiffany D. Farrell, Emily H. Rohan ; researcher, Janell Blackmon Pryor.
Publisher:
Smithsonian American Art Museum ;
Copyright Date:
2024
Description:
171 pages : illustrations (some black and white), portraits ; 31 cm
"Published in conjunction with the exhibition of the same name, on view at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC, March 8 to September 8, 2024 and the Patricia and Philip Frost Art Museum, Miami, FL, September 28, 2024 to January 25, 2025; Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC, September 6 to November 9, 2025; and Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH, June 27 to September 13, 2026"--Colophon. "Previously traveled to the Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, SC, January 21 to August 7, 2022 [and four other venues through January 14, 2024]"--Colophon. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:
Director's foreword / Stephanie Stebich -- Introduction / Lonnie G. Bunch III -- William H. Johnson: an independent man / Virginia M. Mecklenburg -- The series : Crispus Attucks ; Swearing in George Washington ; Toussaint l'Ouverture, Haiti ; Nat Turner ; John Brown legend ; Underground Railroad ; Harriet Tubman ; Three great freedom fighters ; Let my people free ; Abraham Lincoln ; Three great abolitionists: A. Lincoln, F. Douglass, J. Brown ; Booker T. Washington ; Dr. George Washington Carver ; Commodore Peary and Henson at the North Pole ; Historical scene ; Marcus Garvey ; Women builders ; Historical scene with Mary McLeod Bethune ; Boxers ; Three great dancers ; Marian Anderson ; Paul Robeson's relations ; Haile Selassie ; King Ibn Saud ; Nehru and Gandhi ; Historical scene---WW II ; For India and China ; Cairo and Tehran conferences ; Potsdam meeting ; FDR and U.N. ; Against the odds.
Summary:
"William H. Johnson painted his Fighters for Freedom series in the mid-1940s as a tribute to African American activists, scientists, teachers, and performers as well as international leaders. 'Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice' presents colorful and engaging portraits of figures like Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Booker T. Washington, highlighting their achievements and underscoring the nation's struggle for freedom and equality. About thirty entries complement Johnson's artworks from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's touring exhibition. Related items from around the Smithsonian, such as Marian Anderson's concert dress and Nat Turner's bible, provide more insight to these real-life heroes. In his preface, Lonnie Bunch, a historian and the first African American leader of the Smithsonian, traces the nation's arc toward greater liberty. An introduction by curator Virginia Mecklenburg describes the life and work of artist William H. Johnson. The catalogue entries detail the varied accomplishments of the activists in Johnson's powerful painting series"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.