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Media contacts: Kim Schuette: 614.297.2314 or kschuette@ohiohistory.org
For Immediate Release
Colorful Prints Tell Story of John Brown’s Raid
Jacob Lawrence Exhibit at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus, Sept. 5–Dec. 6
(COLUMBUS, Ohio, August 26, 2009) –A series of contemporary prints by the late African American artist Jacob Lawrence depicts the story of abolitionist John Brown's raid on the federal armory at Harper's Ferry 150 years ago this October.
The Legend of John Brown: Serigraphs by Jacob Lawrence, at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus starting Sept. 5, features 22 colorful silk-screen prints telling the story of abolitionist John Brown, whose Oct. 16, 1859 raid with 21 men on the federal armory at Harper's Ferry, W. Va. (Virginia at the time), set the stage for the Civil War. The state of Virginia charged Brown with treason. The court found Brown guilty and sentenced him to death. On Dec. 2, 1859, he was hanged. Brown, who was spent most of his youth in Hudson, Ohio, became a martyr for many Northerners.
The exhibition runs through Dec. 6, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of Brown's raid. It is one in a series of companion exhibits chosen to complement Soul: Art from the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, a major exhibition of work by African American artists on display at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus through Feb. 28, 2010.
The Legend of John Brown prints were created in 1977 by African American artist Jacob Lawrence (1917–2000). Vibrant color and powerful graphic imagery offer an opportunity to explore a critical moment in American history and consider the important role that artists often play in interpreting and disseminating history.
The 22 prints being exhibited at the Ohio Historical Center are from the collection of the Society's National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center in Wilberforce and were the gift of Joseph M. Erdelac of Rocky River. Along with the prints, the Ohio Historical Center will feature historical objects from its collections related to John Brown.
The Ohio Historical Center is open Thursday 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sunday noon–5 p.m. For more information, call 800.686.6124 or visit www.ohiohistory.org/soul. Admission to the Ohio Historical Center is $8/adults, $7/senior (age 60 and up), $4/youth (ages 6-12) and free for OHS members and children 5 years old and under. Parking is $4 and free for members.
The Ohio Historical Center is located on I-71 and 17th Avenue. It is one of 58 historic museums and sites operated by the Ohio Historical Society, a nonprofit organization that serves as the state's partner in preserving and interpreting Ohio's history, archaeology and natural history.
Photo Cutline: John Brown plans to raid plantations to free slaves, one of 22 prints in the series The Legend of John Brown on display through Dec. 6 at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus.
Click here for a high-resolution image (3.1MB image will load in a new browser window).
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