Jacob Lawrence
The Legend of John Brown Exhibit
Exhibition Venue
Skagit Valley College
Art Gallery
February 4 March 14, 2008
Skagit Valley College
2405 East College Way
Mount Vernon, Washington 98273
(360) 416-7600
Gallery Hours: Mon-Fri 10:30 AM-4:30 PM
February 8 Public Reception 4-6 PM
February 19 12:30 PM Gallery Talk by Susan Noyes Platt, Ph.D., Art Historian and Critic Hodson Hall (H211)
March 8 9 AM-4:30 PM Printmaking Workshop led by Natalie Niblack Open to the public Registration required Cost is $45 Hodson Hall (H208)
For additional information: www.skagit.eduMt. Vernon Campus: Driving Directions
About the Legend of John Brown
The Legend of John Brown is based on a suite of original gouache paintings that Jacob Lawrence created in 1941. The series depicts the dramatic moral choices and life events of the white abolitionist John Brown, who, in the mid-1850s, organized covert attacks to liberate slaves from southern plantations and led antislavery troops in an effort to keep Kansas a free state. The series begins with Brown's decision to become an activist, depicts his struggle as an organizer and strategist, and ends with his capture, conviction, and execution for treason in the winter of 1859.
Brown was a controversial figure in his lifetime and remains so today. His single-mindedness and the violence of his methods were hailed as both heroic and foolhardy. What began as an attack on supporters of slavery swelled into an effort intended to bring about the complete downfall of the South. Brown's actions and notoriety contributed to the onset of the Civil War, which ultimately achieved his goal of abolishing slavery. But his tactics were daring and sometimes misguided, resulting in bloody battles and heavy losses, including the death of Brown's own son.
Produced in print form in 1977, The Legend of John Brown represents Jacob Lawrence at his full artistic strength. With vibrant color, narrative precision and powerful graphic imagery, Lawrence dramatically conveys the story of John Brown in all its complexity. As a vehicle for teaching, The Legend of John Brown offers a fresh opportunity to explore a critical moment in American history and to examine the vital role of art and artists in interpreting and disseminating that history.
To view a slideshow of The Legend of John Brown click here.
For additional Information about John Brown visit: National Park Service.
About Jacob Lawrence
(b. 1917, Atlantic City, NJ d. 2000, Seattle, WA)
Jacob Lawrence spent his childhood in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance, attending classes at the Harlem Community Art Center and the American Artists School, and later working for the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project. Lawrence's paintings were first exhibited at major museums when he was still in his twenties.
His artwork appeared at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Art Institute of Chicago; and Museum of Modern Art, New York, where he became the first African American artist to have work included in the collection. He lived, painted, and taught in New York City until 1971, when he moved to Seattle to join the faculty of the University of Washington. Lawrence taught painting there for more than 15 years. He died in Seattle in 2000, at age 83.
Lawrence was a community storyteller who used the visual arts to tell about important events in history. Early in his career, he developed his signature style, using bold colors and simple, striking shapes.
Lawrence made prints for the first time in the 1960s. His narrative, serial prints were often allegorical and were sometimes created as a form of social commentary. By 1977, when The Legend of John Brown was printed, many American artists were re-examining historic events. The original paintings, on which these prints are based, were in fragile condition and held in storage at a museum, where they could not be widely shared. In producing this important series in print form, Lawrence was able to share his artwork and ideas about American history more widely.For additional Information about Jacob Lawrence visit: The Jacob and Gwen Lawrence Foundation.
Jacob Lawrence Links
Online Interactive Resources
The Jacob and Gwen Knight Lawrence Virtual Resource Center
This website provides a wealth of information on the art and life of Jacob and Gwen Knight Lawrence and their contribution to American culture. Here you will find biographical information on Jacob Lawrence and Gwen Knight Lawrence, extensive resources for teaching and research on the art of Jacob Lawrence, descriptions of programs endowed by the Lawrences, and a searchable archive of nearly 1,000 images of their work.
For rights information and permission to reproduce the work of Jacob Lawrence or Gwen Knight Lawrence, please contact the Artist Rights Society.
Archives of American Art
An extensive interview with Jacob Lawrence about his youth, his early training, and his career as an artist. (October 1986)
Jacob Lawrence: Over the Line
Created in conjunction with "Over the Line," the Phillips Collection's major retrospective of Jacob Lawrence's work in 2001. Includes an illustrated narrative of Jacob Lawrence's life, teaching resources, and a selection of children's art. Includes brief audio clips of Jacob Lawrence talking about Harlem, his methods, and his art.
Jacob Lawrence: Exploring Stories
This extensive website was created to accompany the Whitney Museum's presentation of "Over the Line" in 2002. Includes information about Jacob Lawrence's life and work, resources for educators, and tools for students to tell their own stories.
Arts & Culture: Art Focus: Jacob Lawrence
Includes a brief biography and images by Jacob Lawrence, with links to PBS and NPR interviews, obituaries, and other coverage of Lawrence, and links on the art and culture of the Harlem Renaissance and other periods in African American history.
Other Curriculum Units
Jacob Lawrence and Langston Hughes: Traveling from Harlem to Los Angeles
(Grades 10-12; Literature, Arts, History)
Explores relationship between visual art and poetry through Jacob Lawrence's Migration of the Negro and Langston Hughes' "Montage of a Dream Deferred." Developed by Los Angeles Education Partnership.
The African-American Experience in the 20th Century through the Art and Life of Jacob Lawrence and the Novels of Bruce Brooks and Lorene Cary
(Grades 8-12; Reading, Language Arts, English)
Addresses Jacob Lawrence's art in the context of African American history and race relations. Developed by the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.
Jacob Lawrence's Freedom Trail
(Grades 7-9; Interdisciplinary; Arts; Language Arts; History)
Explores issues of slavery and the abolitionist movement through Jacob Lawrence's Life of Harriet Tubman and Life of Frederick Douglass. Developed by the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.
Seven Famous African-American Masters of American Art
(Grades 6-8; Arts, American History)
Designed to introduce middle-school students to the art and visual culture of African-Americans. Developed by the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.