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Art exhibition at IUPUI ‘responds’ to history of slavery

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What started as an idea for Joseph Mella back in 2016 at Vanderbilt University has now come to life six years later.

Mella, director and curator of Herron Galleries at IUPUI, wanted to look at the history of slavery and its complexity and see how modern Black artists “respond” to it.

In September, IUPUI’s Herron School of Art and Design launched the “Past is Present: Black Artists Respond to the Complicated Histories of Slavery” art exhibition. The purpose of the show is to widen the audience’s understanding of racism, power and inequality issues. A few themes that appear in the exhibition are liberation and oppression.

This piece is created by South African artist Mary Sibande. (Photo/Timoria Cunningham)

Mella brought in curator Jonathan Michael Square to help create the art exhibition. Square, a former lecturer at Harvard University, wanted to spotlight not only global artists but Black Indianapolis artists as well. The Indianapolis artists include Kaila Austin, Walter Lobyn Hamilton, John Wesley Hardrick, Carl Pope and Shamira Wilson. Square also wanted to highlight local history and “place them in a global context.”

“When people think about Indiana they don’t necessarily think about slavery,” Square said. “But when you look at the history of Indiana there are some complicated stories there.”

The free exhibition is open to the public 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays. There is free parking on the fifth and sixth floors of the Sports Complex Garage, 875 W. New York St., and visitors can get a parking pass.

The exhibition is in three of the school’s art galleries: Berkshire, Reese and Paul Galleries, Marsh Gallery, and Basile Gallery.

A virtual tour and visitor guide are available online at here.

The name of the exhibition was inspired by a famous William Faulkner quote: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past. Stated differently, we are still living through the aftereffects of slavery.” Square said that we are living in the past, and the past is a figment of the present.

The last day for the art exhibition is Jan. 14, 2023.

Contact staff writer Timoria Cunningham at 317-762- 7854 or email at timoriac@indyrecorder.com. Follow her on Twitter @_timoriac.

Past is Present: Black Artists Respond to the Complicated Histories of Slavery

● When: Now through Jan. 14, 2023

Mondays and Tuesdays — 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Wednesdays — noon to 5 p.m.

Thursdays and Fridays — 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturdays — noon to 5 p.m.

● Where: IUPUI’s Herron School of Art and Design, 735 W. New York St.

● Cost: Free

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