News Release

Art Exhibit Featuring Local Artist Charles Anderson Opens at Brown v. Board

Date: February 23, 2012

Contact: Justin Sochacki
Phone number: [phone]

Topeka, KS - Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site will celebrate African American History Month with the opening of a new art exhibit. Charles Anderson: My Art Therapy Journey features paintings and photographs of local artist and art therapist Charles Anderson. The exhibit is free and open to the public daily through March 31 and for the First Friday Artwalk from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on March 2.

Stories of struggle and discrimination are part of the fabric of our nation's history. They live on in the memories and experiences of those who witnessed the civil rights struggles of the 1960s and in the artwork of Charles Anderson. Anderson spent his career as an art therapist, helping people to deal with stress through creative expression, a therapy he also practiced himself. The photographs and paintings are works created to overcome the stress and struggle of a life lived through the civil rights movement. Each work is also paired with musical selections and the poetry of collaborator Gregory B. Dawson.

Charles Anderson began his career in art therapy in 1962 when he began working at the Menninger Clinic. One year later he was drafted into the U.S. Army and stationed in Alaska, where he served as a Recreation Specialist and began conducting classes in photography, ceramics, lapidary, and leather crafts. After his return to Topeka, Anderson earned a Fine Arts degree from Washburn University and became a registered and board-certified art therapist. He worked at the Menninger Clinic until 2003. He has also served as an adjunct instructor of art therapy at Washburn, Emporia State, and Avila Universities. He currently works as a part-time art therapist for Stormont Vail West Hospital.

Charles Anderson: My Art Therapy Journey will also be open on March 2 for the First Friday Artwalk from 5 to 9 p.m. Anderson and Dawson will be onsite during the Artwalk to discuss their works and the stories that inspired them. The exhibition is sponsored by the National Park Service. For a list of all events and exhibits, please visit www.nps.gov/brvb and click on the Special Events link. Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site tells the story of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended legal segregation in public schools. The site is located at 1515 SE Monroe Street in Topeka, Kansas, and is open free of charge from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with the exceptions of Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/brvb or call 785-354-4273.