About This Exhibit

 

In the form of traditional and contemporary bookmaking, boxmaking, and paper crafting, The "Amazing Race" exhibition is designed to chronicle certain aspects of the transatlantic slave trade experience from its beginnings in Africa to its early years in the Americas.

 

The exhibit begins with objects illustrating everyday African life before capture.  Then in progression, it portrays other major components of slavery. 

 

Each uniquely hand-made object is  either made from scratch or made by altering an existing book or paper object into a work of art, most through the use of mixed media techniques and materials.  Design elements of the book art objects range from the simplest traditional pamphlet style binding to a complex contemporary 3-D accordion binding. 

 

The title, "The Amazing Race," exemplifies the extraordinary strength, courage, and grace of the people and their descendants who survived this African diaspora to become valuable productive citizens of the Americas.

 

In addition to it being an art display, it is also an educational tool. See my Programming page for more on this.