NEW ORLEANS (press release) – On view during the 160th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation visualizes what freedom looks like for Black Americans today and the legacy of the Civil War in 2023 and beyond. Highlighting the perspectives of contemporary Black artists, Emancipation features commissioned and recent works by Sadie Barnette, Alfred Conteh, Maya Freelon, Hugh Hayden, Letitia Huckaby, Jeffrey Meris, and Sable Elyse Smith. The seven installations span sculpture, photography, and paper and textile fabrications. The commissioned works are supplemented by loans of Civil War era materials and works from Newcomb Art Museum’s permanent collection, including work by Angela Gregory, Carrie Mae Weems, and the brothers Ellsworth and William Woodward.  Collectively, these works reveal the elasticity of the concept of emancipation as well as the ways this historic period continues to impact the United States.
Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation will be at Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane Aug. 17 – Dec. 8.
