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Black and White in Black and White: Images of Dignity, Hope, and Diversity in America

  • Description
  • Specs
  • Schedule

Description

They speak to a time and a place where African-Americans were treated as second-class citizens but lived their lives with dignity…You can read about it and hear people talk about it, but to actually see the images is something entirely different.

Michèle Gates Moresi, curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, on John Johnson’s photographs

The beginning of the 20th-century was a time of great promise and hope for race relations in America. This optimistic era was fueled by what was known at the time as the “New Negro Movement,” a period which set the stage for the Harlem Renaissance. No one better captured the essence of this time of advancement than African American photographer John Johnson.

Manitoba and Family
Manitoba and Family
Boy with Hounds
Boy with Hounds
Mamie Griffin
Mamie Griffin

Johnson primarily used his neighborhood in Lincoln, Nebraska as his canvas to craft powerful portraits of dignity and hope from 1910 to 1925. Equally as important as Johnson’s ennobling images of African Americans are his images of blacks and whites and other racial groups together, an occurrence that was almost unheard of at the time. The Smithsonian recently acquired 60 of these photographs for their collection and will display Johnson’s work in three upcoming exhibitions.

A number of the people depicted in Johnson’s photos and their extended families eventually migrated to California. There, they settled in Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Riverside, Blythe and other cities, and became educators, artists and business owners.

This exhibit is also available as an online exhibit! Book the online exhibit as a stand-alone experience, or pair it with the physical exhibit when you host. Visit our online exhibits page to learn more.

Black and White in Black and White: Images of Dignity, Hope, and Diversity in America is curated by Douglas Keister and presented with support from California State University, Chico. Learn more about the collection on YouTube with the 25-minute documentary “Shadows on Glass”.

Specs

Audience:
Adults, Teens
Rental Fee:
$1,800 + shipping for an 8-week booking
Size:
950-1,100 sq. feet
Shipping:
1 crate via van line
Security:
Limited
Installation Images:
View Here

Exhibit Components:

  • 31 large-scale black and white prints made from the original, century-old glass negatives (hung with velcro)
  • Text panels on the collection, the New Negro Movement, and the photography process
  • Glass negatives and a period-specific camera and tripod
  • A 10-15 minute documentary DVD exploring the provenance of the collection
  • Exhibition press kit with digital images

Schedule and Availability

Past Dates

November 20, 2016 – March 26, 2017 (18 weeks)
Houston Public Library, Houston, TX
January 21, 2018 – March 18, 2018
Museum on Main, Pleasanton, CA
June 24, 2018 – August 19, 2018
Hayward Area Historical Society, Hayward, CA
September 2, 2018 – October 28, 2018
Museum of Northern California Art, Chico, CA
January 20, 2019 – March 10, 2019
Ontario Museum of History and Art, Ontario, CA
March 31, 2019 – May 26, 2019
Nebraska History Museum, Lincoln, NE
January 5, 2020 – March 1, 2020
Provo City Library, Provo, UT
March 15, 2020 – July 19, 2020
Sutter County Museum, Yuba City, CA
August 2, 2020 – September 27, 2020
Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County, Moorhead, MN
June 27, 2021 – October 22, 2021
Chandler Museum, Chandler, AZ
November 14, 2021 – January 9, 2022
Park City Museum, Park City, UT
February 13, 2022 – July 31, 2022
City of Greeley Museums, Greeley, CO
January 15, 2023 – March 12, 2023
Southwest Wisconsin Technical College, Fennimore, WI
December 31, 2023 – March 24, 2024
Temecula Valley Museum, Temecula, CA
July 28, 2024 – January 26, 2025 (26 weeks)
Troup County Archives & Legacy Museum, LaGrange, GA
February 23, 2025 – April 20, 2025
University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO
May 11, 2025 – July 6, 2025
AVAILABLE
July 20, 2025 – September 14, 2025
AVAILABLE
October 5, 2025 – November 30, 2025
Kansas City, Kansas Public Library, Kansas City, KS
December 21, 2025 – February 15, 2026
AVAILABLE

Contact us to book this exhibit before it retires in February 2026!

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