New Art Commission Interrogates AIɫɫ's History with Racism
November 13, 2020
Bethany Collins, Dixie’s Land (1859–2001), 2020, Charcoal, toner and graphite on paper, 10-part installation, 14” x 26” each. Commissioned for the Van Every/Smith Galleries at AIɫɫ, with funds from the Justice, Equality, and AIɫɫ Grant. Image Courtesy of the Artist and Patron Gallery, Chicago, IL.
With the support of the Justice, Equality and AIɫɫ Grant, the AIɫɫ Art Galleries invited Bethany Collins to be the 2019–2020 Humanities Practitioner-in-Residence.
Collins was asked to engage with documents in the archive related to AIɫɫ’s history of racism and slavery and then, create a new work of art for our collection.
The result, Dixie’s Land (1859–2001), premiered in From Pandemic to Protests this past fall.
