Road to Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement 1956–1968 Most of the photographs come from the collection of the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, and many are being shown for the first time. These powerful images helped change the nation and the world by dramatically raising public awareness of racism, social injustice, and the struggle for equality. The Skirball has expanded the exhibition to include two new sections on Los Angeles civil rights history and on the role of Jewish Americans in the movement.
Breach of Peace: Photographs of Freedom Riders by Eric Etheridge The Freedom Riders were determined to bring civil rights to the South by ignoring ‘whites only’ restrictions. They rode buses and trains and used waiting rooms and lunch counters. More than 300 Freedom Riders were arrested, convicted of “breach of peace” and sent to prison. Inspired by this heroic group, photographer Eric Etheridge sought them out to create their present-day portraits. These photographs are exhibited alongside the original mug shots.
An Idea Called Tomorrow invites visitors to imagine the active role we can all play in bringing about a world of justice and peace. Organized by the California African American Museum (CAAM), the exhibition features fifteen visionary artists whose work is on display at both CAAM and the Skirball. These artworks address a range of topics relating to social justice today.
STRUGGLE, COLLABORATION, PARTICIPATION
Members, make plans today to attend two special, Members-only opportunities to experience the new exhibition Road to Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956–1968.
Don’t miss out! Click here to reserve today.
Or call (877) SCC-4TIX or (877) 722-4849.
ROAD TO FREEDOM MEMBER PREVIEW DAY
Wednesday, November 18, drop in anytime 12:00–5:00 p.m.
Drop by for an exclusive sneak peek at the major new exhibition Road to Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956–1968, opening to the public on November 19. Displaying more than 160 compelling photographs, the exhibition illuminates the hope and courage of the men and women who campaigned peacefully for social change in the twelve-year span between the 1956 trial that followed Rosa Parks’ famed act of resistance aboard a Montgomery, Alabama bus and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination in 1968. Learn more…
Free and open to Skirball Members only
No reservations
ROAD TO FREEDOM CURATOR TOUR
Wednesday, November 18, 1:00 and 3:30 p.m.
On Member Preview Day, join a tour led by exhibition curator Julian Cox, Curator of Photography at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta. Learn more and reserve space…
Free and open to Skirball Members only
Limited space; reservations required
ROAD TO FREEDOM MEMBER NIGHT
Tuesday, December 1, 6:30–9:30 p.m.
At this evening celebration of the exhibition, explore the galleries, enjoy coffee and dessert, and hear insights from the Skirball’s Chairman of the Board, Howard I. Friedman, who as a young law student, in the late 1940s, was instrumental in achieving the integration of the University of Oklahoma. Learn more and reserve space…
Free and open to Skirball Members only
Reservations required by Tuesday, November 24
* Breach of Peace: Photographs of Freedom Riders by Eric Etheridge, featuring contemporary portraits of forty Freedom Riders, as they came to be known, who converged on Jackson, Mississippi to challenge state segregation laws and were arrested and convicted of the charge “breach of the peace.”
* An Idea Called Tomorrow – 2, an exhibition of contemporary art that gives expression to what a more civil future might look like. Featured artists include Kim Abeles, Castillo, Dominique Moody, Graham Goddard, and Asual Kwahuumba & Karen Seneferu.
THE EXHIBITION AND RELATED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AT THE SKIRBALL CULTURAL CENTER ARE MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE GENEROUS SUPPORT OF:
The Angell Foundation
Anonymous
The Bank of America Charitable Foundation
The David Berg Foundation
The Boeing Company Charitable Trust
Linda & Rick Cohn
Good Works Foundation
Estate of Alan Freed
William H. Hannon Foundation
Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles
The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, Inc.
Rock-It Cargo
Skirball Volunteer Service Council in Memory of Harriet Newman
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Specialty Family Foundation
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY:
The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation
Elisabeth & Arthur W. Forney
Gelson’s Markets
Heritage Link Brands
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
Kern Family Fund
Paula & Barry Litt
Monterey International Pop Festival Foundation
Ellen & Walter Newman
Oshman Family Foundation
Irene M. Solet & Adam Clayton Powell III
Abby Sher
Lannette & Scott Turicchi
US Bank
Webb Family Enterprises
Tiger Woods Foundation
MEDIA SPONSORS:
Los Angeles magazine
KPCC 89.3 FM
Road to Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956–1968
November 19, 2009–March 7, 2010
ADMISSION:
Included with Museum admission: $10 General; $7 Seniors and Full-Time Students; $5 Children 2–12; Free to Members and Children under 2; Free to all on Thursdays
Featuring nearly 170 unforgettable images by more than thirty-five photographers, Road to Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement, 1956–1968 tracks a crucial episode in American social and political history. Poignant and deeply affecting, the photographs in this exhibition portray historical turning points such as the Montgomery bus boycott (1956), the Freedom Rides to the Deep South (1961), the March on Washington (1963), the Selma-to-Montgomery march (1965), the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. (1968), and the Poor People’s Campaign (1968). Some of the photographs have never been displayed to the public. On view are images by recognized names such as Bob Adelman, Morton Broffman, Bruce Davidson, Doris Derby, Larry Fink, James Karales, Danny Lyon, Builder Levy, and Steve Schapiro, as well as by press photographers and amateurs. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience the power of these images firsthand and learn more about the photographs’ pivotal role in shaping public opinion, promoting solidarity, and raising awareness of injustice.
The photographs are complemented by sound recordings of music and speeches, artifacts, and other archival materials that provide historical context. The Skirball has added a new section to the exhibition that documents the struggle for civil rights here in Los Angeles; among the local events portrayed are the picketing of the Kress Store in Pasadena (1960) and the Watts Riots (1965). The exhibition also includes a documentary film, produced especially for the Skirball’s presentation of Road to Freedom, that illuminates the unified efforts of the Jewish and African American communities to achieve justice for all during the Civil Rights movement.
Read the press release about this exhibition.
MEDIA SPONSORS:
IMAGES (top to bottom):
Morton Broffman (American, 1928–1992), Dr. King and Coretta Scott King Leading Marchers, Montgomery, Alabama (detail), 1965, gelatin silver print. High Museum of Art, Atlanta. Gift of the Broffman Family, 2007.34 © Morton Broffman
Bob Adelman (American, b. 1930), Kelly Ingram Park, Birmingham (detail), 1963, gelatin silver print. High Museum of Art, Atlanta. Purchase with funds from Dr. Henrie M. Treadwell, 2007.172 © Bob Adelman
Leonard Freed (American, 1929–2006), Woman Kneeling with Sign during Demonstration, 1963, gelatin silver print. High Museum of Art, Atlanta. Purchase, 2005.309 © Leonard Freed/Magnum Photos
Danny Lyon (American, b. 1942), Taylor Washington Arrested at Leb’s Delicatessen, Atlanta, 1964. Gelatin Silver print. High Museum of Art, Atlanta. Purchase with funds from the H.B. and Doris Massey Charitable Trust and Lucinda W. Bunnen for the Bunnen Collection, 1994.66 © Danny Lyon/Magnum Photos.
