By Nathan Prewett
The National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at Alabama State University (ASU) has received an exhibit of 28 works of art by 24 artists from the National Alliance of Artists from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (NAAHBCU).
The exhibit will be unveiled during a reception at the annual Colvin-Feagin Art & Jazz Show on Thursday, July 17, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Montgomery Interpretive Center on the ASU campus.
“It is a great honor to be entrusted with these powerful expressions of heritage, identity, and artistic excellence,” said Raegan C. Stearns, University Archivist at ASU. “Unlike past exhibits, which showcased loaned works, this collection represents permanent gifts—self-selected by the artists to reflect their individual styles and voices. Their trust in the National Center to preserve and showcase this legacy speaks volumes.”
According to an announcement from the Montgomery Interpretive Center the donation was part of the NAAHBCU Art Legacy Project, spearheaded by Dr. Lee A. Ransaw, co-founder of the Alliance and professor emeritus at Morris Brown College in collaboration with Dr. Janice Franklin, Director of the National Center and Dean of ASU’s Levi Watkins Learning Center.
“We are pleased and very excited to share with you a portion of the excellent collection of fine art that is now in the permanent collection of the National Center,” said Ransaw. “Our long-range goal has always been to bring artists and art education to the forefront of American art and to keep art programs as institutional priorities for generations to come.”
Named after ASU professors Dr. William E. Colvin and Mr. John W. Feagin, the Colvin-Feagin Art & Jazz Show celebrates art and music on campus.
“This year’s exhibition continues to honor both Dr. Colvin and Mr. Feagin while highlighting the incredible generosity and talent of our NAAHBCU colleagues,” said Cleve Webber, the National Center’s museum curator. “These are not only works of art—they are historical documents that belong to the cultural record of African American academic institutions.”
Artists represented in the exhibit are Jesse Coleman, Ann Johnson, Henry Blackmon III, William Buchanan, Phillip Dotson, Marcella Muhammad, Charlie T. Johnson, Dennis Winston, Clarence Talley, Sr., Tracie Lee Hawkins, Samuel O. Williams, Lee Ransaw, Johnnie Mae Maberry, Joseph A. Pearson, Bryan Wilson, Leon Hicks, William Colvin, John Feagin, Dwight Smith, Willie Hooker, Peggy Blood, Ricky Calloway, Ansel Butler, and Cleve Webber.
The event is free and open to the public.
