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Striking illustrations depicting the journey of Africans from their native land to the United States are on display at McKissick Museum in an exhibit called "The Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo." The exhibit is on display through July 28.
The 52 illustrations were created by award-winning children's author Tom Feelings for his book The Middle Passage. Feelings, a former University art professor, dedicated much of his life to telling the story of African-American heritage until his death in 2003.
The exhibit captures the horror of the importation of Africans across the Atlantic Ocean from the old world of freedom to the new world of slavery. Each drawing is done in tempera, pen, and tissue.
As in the book, the pictures tell the story completely without words. Some are accompanied by text panels that explain the artist's intent, history, and experience of documenting the images.
"They are painfully, yet beautifully, compelling images that tell the story of the uglier and, perhaps, the most silenced period of American history," chief curator Jason Shaiman said.
Considered Feelings' most famous children's book, The Middle Passage was inspired by his travels and studies. He shared his story with children through his illustrations in several books with African-American themes.
Among the many other children's books Feelings illustrated, To Be a Slave, written by Julius Lester in 1968, was awarded the Newberry Honor, the first time this honor was presented to a black author. Between 1971 and 1974, Feelings lived in Guyana, South America, where he served as a consultant and teacher for the Ministry of Education. In 1972, while living in Guyana, his 1971 book Moja Means One: A Swahili Counting Book won the Caldecott Honor Award. Feelings has the distinction of being the first black artist to win this award.
From 1988 to 1996, Feelings taught drawing and illustration in the University's Department of Art. Today, his drawings and illustrations can be found in museums throughout the United States. His works also are included in many private collections including those of Maya Angelou and Roberta Flack. In 1996, Feelings received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, the School of the Arts in New York.
McKissick Museum exhibits are free and open to the public. The museum is located on the University of South Carolina's Horseshoe and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The museum is closed Sundays and University holidays.
For more information, call 7-7251 or visit the museum's Web site at www.cla.sc.edu/MCKS/.
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Illustration by Tom Feelings
