Southern University partners with local art galleries for multisite exhibition featuring renowned American artists

Southern University partners with local art galleries for multisite exhibition featuring renowned American artists

Southern University and A&M College is partnering with the Baton Rouge Gallery Center for Contemporary Art and the West Baton Rouge Museum on Aug. 1-23 for a limited-run multisite exhibition. "Free as They Want to Be: Artists Committed to Memory," features works from some of the biggest names in American art. The event is free and open to the public.

Among the featured, frequently celebrated artists are Randell Henry, associate professor of art at Southern University; Bisa Butler, and Malaika Favorite.

"Free as They Want to Be" - co-curated by Deborah Willis, Ph.D. and Cheryl Finley, Ph.D. - is a presentation of contemporary art inspired by historical memory that considers the historic and contemporary role photography and film have played in remembering legacies of slavery. It also examines the idea of personal freedom and the social lives of a diverse group of Americans within various places - on the land, at home, in photographic albums, at historic sites, and in public memory.

The exhibition will be on view at all three sites with a variety of programs taking place at each location during the exhibition. Each partnering organization will be offering free admission during the exhibition's presentation.

"Free as They Want to Be" explores a number of themes, including migration, identity, and the African diaspora. The exhibition originated at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center as part of the 2022 FotoFocus Biennial in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has since travelled across the United States before coming to Louisiana's capital city.

The exhibit is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. It is also supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council, as administered by the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge. Additional support has been made possible by The Atchafalaya National Heritage Area, The Josef Sternberg Memorial Fund, a Louisiana Project Grant, Dr. Khanh Ho, Kelvin Coney, The La Capitale (LA) Chapter of The Links Incorporated, Louisiana Lottery, The Prince Hall Shriners, House of Hues, and The Daniels Family Fund.

Southern University will host the exhibit's closing reception on Wednesday, Aug. 19 in the Frank Hayden Hall Visual Art Gallery on campus. The reception will be preceded by a panel discussion with exhibit co-curator Cheryl Finley.

The exhibition will be on view at all three sites during the following gallery hours:

Southern University and A&M College
Frank Hayden Hall Visual Art Gallery
8229 Elton C. Harrison Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70813

Hours:
Tuesday-Sunday
10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Baton Rouge Gallery - Center for Contemporary Art
1515 Dalrymple Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70808

Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday
12 p.m. - 6 p.m.

West Baton Rouge Museum
845 N. Jefferson Ave.
Port Allen, LA 70767

Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday
10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Sunday
2-5 p.m.

For more information about the exhibit, artists and special events, go to batonrougegallery.org/fatwtb.