Manifest: Thirteen Colonies Exhibition Preview & Conversation

Join visual artist Wendal A. White in conversation with photographer William E. Williams, the Audrey A. and John L. Dusseau Professor in the Humanities at Haverford College on Thursday, May 16. Visual artist White photographs objects, documents, and books held in public collections to explore the complexities of American history, slavery, abolition, concepts of race, and Black life and culture. In this program, marking the upcoming exhibition of his work at the Peabody Museum, White will engage in a conversation with Williams, whose own images of architecture, landscapes, and African American historical sites examine similar topics. Both artists will share their approaches to documenting complex and painful aspects of U.S. history. They will highlight marginalized or overlooked Black and African American stories of resilience, ingenuity, and agency and discuss reconnecting consciousness and memories to places and objects that signify the lives and experiences of Black communities. A reception and exhibition preview will follow in the galleries of the Peabody Museum. Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage. Register for the in-person or online event.

This event is presented by Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology and Harvard Museums of Science & Culture. The exhibition "Manifest: Thirteen Colonies" will be open May 18, 2024–April 13, 2025. Learn more about the exhibition and Wendel White. Learn more about the Robert Gardner Fellowship in Photography. Advance copies of the related book "Wendel A. White: Manifest | Thirteen Colonies," (Radius Books/Peabody Museum Press, Summer 2024) will be available to view and preorder.