Artist James Allen was serving a life sentence in an Indiana state prison when he discovered his artistic talent. Despite his death in 2006, the passion in his collage "African Pride" lives on as the centerpiece of the Ohio Historical Center's newest exhibit: "Soul!"
The exhibit features 199 pieces from the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center. Allen's collage is one of many works that honor African-American culture. The works are from the Ohio Historical Society's own collection and, until now, were shown exclusively at the National Afro-American and Cultural Center in Wilberforce, Ohio. William Laidlaw, an executive director for the Ohio Historical Society, said he's excited by the opportunity to share the society's collection with more Ohio residents.
"We've got a fabulous collection from literally all over the state," Laidlaw said. "We see this exhibit as a way of really expanding our community outreach."
Rather than grouping the works chronologically, this exhibit attempts to arrange works into themes such as celebration, struggle and sacrifice, said Connie Bodner, director of education and interpretation services for the Ohio Historical Society.
"Our feeling is that history works best when it connects people either to each other or to the past," Bodner said. "We thought there was chance that art could do the same thing."
The first gallery features a themes of honor and tribute and includes "African Pride" as well as portraits by distinguished artist and former Central State University Professor, Hayward R. Dinsmore. Subsequent galleries portray themes of slavery and social unrest. The earliest work in the exhibit is Patrick Henry Reason's "Kneeling Slave," an abolitionist etching from 1835.
"Some say the slaves were stripped of their culture when they were taken from Africa," said Floyd Thomas, exhibition curator.
"They were stripped of their possessions, but their culture and aesthetic value stayed with them."
As viewers go through each showroom they will find images of political struggle and sacrifice, including "Golden Prison" by Dana Chandler, a painting that portrays themes of pain and imprisonment.
"For many years African Americans were portrayed as negative stereotypes in art and media," Thomas said, "This art was a kind of revolutionary act."
The exhibit ends with a celebration of African-American culture that includes the work "We Shall Overcome" by Cedric Adams, as well as the paintings "Two Faced" and "Miss Otis" by Emma Amos, a 1958 graduate of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
The exhibit is at the Ohio Historical Center at 1982 Velma Ave., and lasts through February 2010. Admission to the gallery is $8 for adults, $4 for children ages 6 to 12 and free for children ages 5 and under.
Steve Skok can be reached at skok.2@osu.edu.
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