WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.- The Delaware Art Museum will present Glorious Dignity: Drawings of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Harvey Dinnerstein and Burton Silverman February 7 - March 7, 2004 at the Bank One Center on the Riverfront. The exhibition of 38 drawings, all from the museums permanent collection, takes its title, "Glorious Dignity," from a statement made by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to the African American community of Montgomery following the Supreme Court decision declaring Alabamas laws on bus segregation unconstitutional:
"Violence must not come from any of us, for if we become victimized by violent intents, we will have walked in vain, and our twelve months of glorious dignity will be transformed into an eve of gloomy catastrophe."
The artists represented in the exhibition, Harvey Dinnerstein and Burton Silverman, were observers of a catalytic event in American history that began with the arrest of Rosa Parks on charges of disorderly conduct on December 1, 1955, when she refused to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man. As a result, the African American community was galvanized to action and The Montgomery Improvement Association was founded, with the 26-year-old Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as president. The Association filed suit in federal court on behalf of those discriminated against by the bus service. In 1956, the federal court ruled in favor of the Association and declared segregated bus service unconstitutional. After an appeal to the U.S Supreme Court, the boycott finally ended on December 20, 1956, when the high court ordered Montgomery to integrate its bus system.
New York artists Harvey Dinnerstein and Burton Silverman, wanting to revive the historical tradition of artists as reporters and commentators, spent several days drawing Montgomerys African American citizens walking and carpooling, listening to speeches by community leaders and civil rights activists, and participating in the trial that initially challenged the segregation of public transportation. The drawings, ranging from expressive portraits to impassioned courtroom drama, capture the spectrum of actions and emotions that marked the Boycott as a turning point in the struggle for civil rights. Throughout, the drawings mirror the boycotters deep commitment to non-violence and the "glorious dignity" that created a revolutionary road to political change.
