This is the exhibit’s first time on the West Coast!
The Oakland Museum of California is giving activist Angela Davis her flowers with new exhibition.
The 78-year-old civil rights activist, author, and professor has been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame for the fight she’s still fighting today: the freedom of Black people and those who experience injustices based on race, sexuality, gender, and class. She’s a force to be reckoned with, which is why we gave you 10 empowering quotes and three good reasons why you should learn more about her. Now the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is honoring Angela Davis’ life and legacy with a new exhibit. Angela Davis: Seize the Time is dedicated to her life and contributions. It also focuses on her arrest, incarceration, and the trial that made her an international symbol of the Black Freedom Struggle during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Zimmerli’s Chief Curator Donna Gustafson said, “The events of 1969 to 1972 launched a young, Black UCLA philosophy professor into international prominence, making her image an icon of hope and a symbol of Black resistance. Our visitors were extremely moved by this exhibition, and we’re so glad that Seize the Time will make its way to the Oakland Museum of California to celebrate the life of Angela Davis, who is based in Oakland, and learn more about her extraordinary story.”
This exhibit was organized in partnership with the Zimmerli Art Museum at New Jersey’s Rutgers University and curated by Donna Gustafson, the interim director for the Zimmerli Art Museum.
OMCA Director and CEO Lori Fogarty stated, “We’re exploring the life of Angela Davis, a local icon with a global impact. We hope that visitors can dive deeper into the empowering legacy of Davis, and feel inspired to create change.”
Every aspect of her life is highlighted, including an introductory section that features her work as a progressive educator, her affiliation with the Communist Party, her termination from UCLA, and her political activism which led to her arrest. There’s also a second section that explores Davis’ placement on the FBI’s Most Wanted List; you can learn more about the activists that started the “Free Angela” campaign and Davis’ work against mass incarnation.
The exhibit opened on October 7th and viewers are encouraged to think about the future and how their actions have an impact, gaining a new understanding of how they help shape the present and future for other generations. This display will be located at the OCMA through June 11! Click here to get your tickets.
Photo: Guariken Arts, Inc./ 48Hills