Purdue News

August 4, 1998 BCC open house kicks off art exhibition tour WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Visitors to the Black Cultural Center's open house from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, will get the first glimpse of "Art Speaks," a multimedia traveling art exhibit featuring African-American artists from the Midwest. "We plan to take this exciting exhibit to schools throughout the Greater Lafayette area and, hopefully, statewide," said Renee Thomas, director of the Black Cultural Center. The highlight of the exhibit is a limited edition bronze casting of the African-American Civil War monument "Spirit of Freedom." The piece, by Kentucky artist Ed Hamilton, is a replica of the original done in bronze and recently unveiled in Washington, D.C. -- the first memorial in the country to honor the more than 200,000 African-American troops who served in the Civil War. The Art Speaks program is funded by a grant from the Chrysler Corp. The visual and literary exhibition includes a specially designed portable gallery, a video documentary featuring the artists, and the release of a new anthology of poetry entitled "Eclipsing a Nappy New Millennium." The poetry collection is the first of its kind to focus on the work of Midwestern African-American poets. It brings together the works of well-known authors Nikki Finney and Eugene B. Redmond, and it celebrates the literary excellence of many new voices. A copy of the softcover anthology may be purchased at the BCC for $10. CONTACT: Thomas, (765) 494-3091; e-mail, rathomas@hfs.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page