Courtesy of Talladega College
The Amistad Murals painted by Hale Woodruff are at the center of an agreement between Talladega College and the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) as part of the HBCU Digital Art Project.
On Tuesday, December 12, President Gregory J. Vincent and Valerie Cooper, Community Outreach Consultant for the Smithsonian American Art Museum, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote the murals and expose the artwork to larger audiences. Talladega College is the first of the institutions in the current cohort of HBCUs to sign the letter of support.
In an effort to increase awareness of the six historically significant murals, Talladega College Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships Ludwig Gaines seized an opportunity to make the vision come to life through Cooper’s HBCU Digital Art Project (HDAP). “The HBCU Digital Art Project was a passion project that I thought a lot about as an executive for Goldman Sachs. I found solace in going to museums, like the Met, and I really developed a bond with works by artists of color, and I wanted to know more. HDAP is a marriage of diversity, technology, and HBCUs,” Cooper said. The technology executive explains wanting to create a database of artwork for HBCUs to use as a teaching tool for students to gain a richer appreciation for African-American artwork.
“I saw what art did for executives on the street. I felt like if we could have a way to get these murals in front of the world, they would learn more about our history than they already know,” Cooper said. Cooper spoke about reaching out to her corporate clients, like Sirius XM for support in funding the project and the roadblocks she encountered while garnering support until eventually landing a collaboration deal with the Smithsonian American Art Museum. “The Smithsonian is one of the cultural gems, so connecting with Talladega College is invaluable,” said President Vincent.
The project consists of two phases. The first phase focuses on signed letters of support from presidents of a cohort of HBCU presidents from Talladega College, Morgan State University, Fisk University, Hampton University, the University of D.C., and Howard University. The second phase will release a comprehensive digital directory of selected works from HBCU art collections. VP Gaines believes the project fulfills the president’s vision for the murals and has the potential to be a resource for curriculum as well as a valuable pipeline for minorities entering into art, business, technology, and finance sectors.
“It was following the President’s vision of bringing this institutional treasure, the Amistad Murals, to the broader community. They’re here in Talladega, but they should be seen by the nation and by the world. Marry that to what Ms. Cooper does and it creates curriculum opportunities, and career opportunities in business and finance. It opens a whole new world, and it’s a tremendous resource. We have a responsibility to share them with the broader community and this is the perfect vehicle to do so,” says Gaines.