NEW ORLEANS, LA.- On view during the 160th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation, at the Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane, 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.

Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation originates from an analysis of sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward’s The Freedman (1863), one of the first bronze statues of a Black person in the United States. Initially sculpted by Ward before the end of the Civil War, Adams’ figure is depicted on the cusp of liberation, having ruptured his bonds, though they are still present as a reminder of his enslavement.

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.

Exhibition co-curators Maurita N. Poole, PhD, and Margaret C. Adler will be in conversation with multimedia artist Sadie Barnette about liberatory spaces and the artist's process. Refreshments and hors d'oeuvres will follow the discussion. The museum will be open prior to the reception, so arrive early for a closer view of the exhibition.

Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane
Emancipation:The Unfinished Project of Liberation
August 17th, 2023 - December 8th, 2023