Exhibit traces black American art from slavery into the civil rights movement

When the judges in the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition found out that Edward Mitchell Bannister was black, they tried to take back the prize they awarded him for his painting “Under the Oaks."

Justice was only served because his fellow artists — the ones he beat in the competition — stood up for him, and the prize was reinstated.

Prints of the work of Edward Mitchell Bannister and several other black American artists are on display during February for Black History Month, in an exhibit curated by Ari Mir-Pontier and sponsored by the Barryville Area Arts Association. The exhibit traces the history of black American art from slavery into the civil rights movement.

Running concurrently with this exhibit is a display of the work of contemporary black artists and local black artists.

The free opening reception with live music and complimentary refreshments will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, at Artists Market Community Center, 114 Richardson Avenue, Shohola. Local artist Shanita Artson will make a brief presentation about her own creative journey through the arts.

This Celebration of Black History is made possible by grants from the Richard L. Snyder Fund, administered through the Greater Pike Community Foundation; and through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.