Hattie McDaniel by Antoine Self
SUNY Broome Associate Professor of Visual Communications Patricia Evans will present a new exhibit, Faces: The Underground Railroad, April 3 through 30 at the Gallery @ SUNY Broome, located on the first floor of the Cecil C. Tyrrell Library on campus.
The gallery is open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Professor Evans will be showcasing a series of classical realist larger than life-size portrait drawings created by her beginning drawing students, along with historical photos and life stories. Notable slaves, abolitionists, writers, conductors and stationmasters are featured in the exhibition. Portraits are rendered in charcoal, pencil, and mixed media.
Evans offered her ART 115: Beginning Drawing students the opportunity to research the history of iconic individuals associated with the Underground Railroad, including birth and death records and individual contributions toward the freedom of slaves, culminating with profound lessons on social and cultural history.
Each semester, Evans’ students focus on a marginalized and overlooked group of people, drawing attention to the sacrifice and struggle that it takes to make a difference. Her students enthusiastically take on the challenge of researching individual roles then begin the process of creating a likeness based on archival photographs.
