The Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum at Saginaw Valley State University will celebrate Black History Month with the opening of the exhibition titled “Jacob Lawrence: The Legend of John Brown from the Mott-Warsh Collection.”
Pioneering African American artist Jacob Lawrence created The Legend of John Brown, his fifth series of history paintings, in 1941. The series tells the story of white abolitionist John Brown. In 1974 Lawrence was commissioned to produce a limited edition of screen prints of the series. The Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum now presents that full print portfolio on loan from the Mott-Warsh Collection through April 2023.
Using vibrant colors, story-telling precision, and powerful graphic images Lawrence explores the human condition, the African American experience, and American history. “We hope local schools, groups, and community members come tour this incredible record of our shared history, as Black history is truly American History,” states Megan McAdow, director of the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum near Saginaw.
With a style inspired by modern art, African art, print journalism, and popular film, Lawrence explained why he worked on the series: “I wanted to tell a lot of things. This was the only way I could work and tell the complete story.” The artist carefully researched John Brown, combining written scholarship with oral history and popular culture surrounding the white abolitionist icon. Brown advocated for violent uprisings, and he was executed for his failed insurrection at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, in 1859. In the 1930s and 1940s, African American artists, intellectuals, and political leaders made pilgrimages to Harper’s Ferry and to his grave, while white historians of the time often dismissed Brown as an insane radical. Previous painters had romanticized and sanitized his anti-slavery crusade. Lawrence instead explored the complexity of Brown’s biography, providing Brown’s lifelong fierce Christian piety as context for his militant devotion to the abolition of slavery during the last 22 years of his life.
The Museum is also presenting programming around this exhibition including a free concert with local vocalist Monique Ella Rose. Rose is authentic and bold — a genre-fusing singer and songwriter, who is deeply rooted in Gospel, pure Soul, Jazz, and R&B with lyrics that encourage, uplift, and move you. The concert will be held on February 2, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. near the Museum at the Rhea Miller Recital Hall on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University. Following the performance, attendees are invited back to the Museum for an afterglow with free refreshments and a cash bar.
Programming also includes a series of drop-in art workshops throughout the run of the exhibition as well as guest speakers on art and history. On February 11 from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. the Museum will facilitate a free Drop-in Collage Art Workshop. Participants can create original artworks based on techniques seen in the series by Jacob Lawrence. On February 22 from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. the Museum will host “Commune @ Noon” where visitors can gather to learn from Dr. Jennifer Stinson, Associate Professor of History at SVSU, as she discusses “The Legend of John Brown” and the American Abolitionist Movement. Free snacks will be provided.
For a full and up-to-date list of programming, visit the museum website at MarshallFredericks.org.
