News Release

Local Artists Depict Struggles for Freedom and Equality

Date: July 25, 2011

Release date: July 25, 2011
Contact: Justin Sochacki
Phone number: [phone]

Topeka, KS -Thirteen area artists will be featured in a juried exhibition at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site commemorating our nation's struggle for freedom and equality. The exhibit is free and open to the public daily from August 1 to September 30, including special hours from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the First Friday Artwalks. The three winning artists will also be recognized and awarded prizes at 6 p.m. during the Artwalk on August 5.

Since the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, a strong thread in the nation's fabric has been the story of overcoming prejudice, discrimination, and racism so that all Americans can enjoy "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." This exhibition features local artwork that communicates these struggles for freedom and salutes the people who have helped move the nation toward the promise of its founding: the promise of equality for everyone.

Exhibit jurors were Sherry Best of the Alice C. Sabatini Galley at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library and Cindi Morrison of the Mulvane Art Museum at Washburn University. They selected the winning artwork and commented, "We were glad to see such a mix of artists entering: people who have been making art for years and people who are young and just starting out. We were encouraged to see such a variety in interpretation also: from historic to contemporary issues of equality. We want to further encourage these artists to keep pursuing their work and to keep working to make America a wonderful nation." The winners are: 1st Place: E. Vincent Wood III for Per Aspera; 2nd Place: Jeff Pulaski for Frederick Douglass Poster; 3rd Place: Kristine Luber for Black v. White.

The exhibition is sponsored by the National Park Service, Western National Parks Association, ARTSConnect Topeka, and the Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research and is part of the 2010-2011 program series entitled Commemorating Our Nation's Struggle for Freedom: From Civil War to Civil Rights. For a list of all events and exhibits in the program series, 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 [phone].