Calvin Burnett was a graphic artist, illustrator, painter, designer, and art teacher from Cambridge, MA. The Box is a surrealist drawing of a Black woman seated in a box. The drawing's geometric complexity and the woman's reflections evoke an uncanny feeling.
Entrusted to FAMU based on the university's studies in agriculture, this deity is an example of the later spirits showing a more human form. The boxer's left arm was lost prior to shipping from Ghana. The human form seems less passive, but is clearly ready to do harm to any trespassers.
An editorial release from Florida A&M University’s Public Relations Office that discusses a recent speech made by Dr. Benjamin L. Perry, Jr. at the University of Florida, “The Bozo Principle.” Perry essentially uses a metaphor of the origins of a racist carnival game to discuss his vision for the future of marginalized communities.
William E. Rice was an artist from Tallahassee, FL. The Capitol is a perspective painting of a residential area beside a Capitol building. In the foreground are several houses with multi-colored trees between them; in the background are larger buildings, including the Capitol, under a cloudy blue sky.
Maurice Strider was an artist and art educator from Lexington, KY. The Carnival shows a carnival landscape with crowds of abstracted human figures walking around and riding a Ferris wheel. The hue composition of blue, pink, and gray is similar to Cubism.
A commentary on the conflict between technology and progress, history and culture, Davis painted this mural in response to the destruction of several Hannah Hall murals to create windows into a new computer lab. Davis’ own mural was later damaged by subsequent construction, as foreseen in its design.
A newspaper article from the Topeka Capital-Journal about the decline in Topeka's K-12 public school population between 1970 and 1983. By 1983, those numbers had started to level out, but there were still recommendations to close 12 to 14 of the district’s 26 public elementary schools based on declining enrollment and building conditions.
Marjorie W. Brown, born in North Carolina, was an artist who studied art at Spelman College. The City Is A Pattern is a watercolor artwork that shows the linear perspective of a city. Brown uses repeating lines and geometric shapes for buildings, windows, signs, and sidewalks to show a consistent landscape pattern.
This 2014 painting is of an older man sitting in front of a painting of a woman and a little boy (probably his mother). The portrait was created by Joseph “Joe” Roache, a Florida A&M alum and former professor who has exhibited his oil, acrylic, pencil, and computer artworks in LeMonye Arts, the Mississippi Museum of Art, and more.
Parson’s painting shows a young girl shielding her face. To the left, a crow holds a coin and a dollar bill is on a fishing line; to the right Jesus is crucified, below a perched crow. The crows may allude to Jim Crow, which made racism law from after the Civil War until the 1960s; crows are also a symbol of death. The dollar bill as bait perhaps suggests the corrupting nature of money.
Parson's print shows a face with closed eyes and a solemn expression on its face. In the background, three crosses stand ominously, alluding to the crosses where Jesus, Dismus, and Gestas were crucified. Dark, crosshatched swirls fill the entire composition. Parson and other TSU students learned the crosshatching technique from Dr. Biggers and used it to create smooth, detailed shapes.
Frederick D. Jones, Jr. was a mid-twentieth-century artist from South Carolina. The Daughter of Eve depicts a woman wearing a ripped blue top, red lipstick, a snake bracelet, a red scarf, and a white magnolia in her hair. She holds a red apple and a green leaf and stares toward the viewer. Behind her is a white horse, a yellow tent, and a man dancing.
This 1969 essay by TIME offers a snapshot of the state of higher education and its relationship with its Black students. It discusses significant points the Black community clamored for – autonomous Black educational programs, revised Black studies curriculum, etc. — and the general reaction to these calls by critics and supporters alike.
In 1917, Black intellectual, Kelly Miller wrote to President Woodrow Wilson, condemning the unjust treatment of African Americans. Using biblical references, he criticized lynchings, highlighted systemic inequality, and pleaded for relief for the 10 million Black citizens enduring deep distress, emphasizing their innocence and dignity.
Sampson’s print shows a large, colorful dog drinking from a pail of water. The setting appears rural, with a wooden fence and a large tree in the background. Sampson’s artwork in TSU’s permanent collection often depicts nature and rural homes. More broadly, animals and the natural world are frequent subjects of the artwork of TSU students.
This talking paper was created for Dr. Benjamin L. Perry, Jr for a presentation on the economic crisis of Black institutions. While this speech was meant to represent all historically Black institutions, Perry discussed the plight of all higher education establishments due to a lack of proper financial support and included FAMU as his main example.
Howard E. Lewis was an Art professor and Korean War veteran from Columbus, OH. The Family is a freestanding Plaster sculpture of a family in an embrace. The father towers over his wife and child, looking down at them as his wife leans into his chest and their son into hers.
The pamphlet for Florida A&M University’s 75th Opening Convocation features President Gore’s compelling speech on his contributions to the university. Marking the Diamond Anniversary, Gore charts a bold vision for the 1961-62 school year with the inspiring theme, "Go Forward with FAMU."
Case Data and Exhibits for Brown III, a relitigation of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education (1954) that corrected resegregation issues caused by open enrollment school choice in 1992. First set of questions from plaintiff attorneys to be answered by defendant attorneys within 30 days as part of evidence discovery.
Eva Booker was an artist from Atlanta, GA. The Girls is an abstract depiction of a group of girls with blonde hair, red bikini tops, and low-waisted skirts.
A memo about the real effects of white-collar crime and some ideas about solutions to combat it. The author of the memo gives examples of recent corporate and Wall Street offenses and penalties levied, but argues that not enough is being done. The author states that white-collar crime is perhaps even worse for communities than armed robberies.
This work, by Oliver Parson, is a calm and dreamlike scene of a child sitting in a prairie, as an angel and a person both race towards him. Both figures may represent salvation; the person aims to rescue him from death, while the angel tries to save him from Earth. A faint glow emanates from the child.
This collection contains letters between B. L. Perry, Jr., George W. Gore, J. R. E. Lee, Jr., and James R. Dungan. These letters discuss the securing of funds for new building construction on Florida A&M University’s campus under the Higher Education Facilities Program, including the Higher Education Facilities Acts of 1963 and 1965.
Washington’s mural is a timeline of Black education. On the left, he depicts slavery and lynching above enslaved people secretly reading. In the center, students write “Emancipation Proclamation” and Booker T. Washington delivers his "Atlanta Compromise" speech. The right depicts emerging Black professionals.
Clarence Laudric Shivers was an artist and career military man who participated in the Tuskegee Program from St. Louis, MO. The House by the Side of the Road depicts a rural home behind a picket fence. This piece conveys rural life as a man lounges on a tree while clothes dry on the line.
Donato's painting shows a crowd gathering around him after a car crash, but not rendering aid. Donato crafts a scene that blends reality and fiction: he portrays himself bloodied like Jesus on the cross, surrounded by real neighbors of his from Frenchtown, a section of Houston's Fifth Ward, but there was no such car crash.
Cecil D Nelson Jr. was a 20th-century painter born in Champaign, IL. The Kitemakers shows two children sitting in a field before a log. A white boy on the left wearing a red shirt holds the kite while looking at a young Black boy on the right wearing a blue shirt. An orange kite flies in the background near two gas tanks and a grain bin.
James Dallas Parks, born in St. Louis, Missouri, was a painter, sculptor, printmaker, and art historian. The Knockout depicts the iconic photograph of the Muhammed Ali versus Sonny Liston boxing match. Ali stands in a victor’s stance above Liston as he struggles to rise.
Ernest Hardman was a painter from Detroit, MI. The Last Supper #2 is an abstract depiction of Jesus and His disciples sitting around a table. Unlike The Last Supper, Hardman decenters Jesus and creates a euphony of shape and color that resembles men debating around a table.
