Black Survival Guide

Black Survival Guide

Black Survival Guide

Black Survival Guide

Black Survival Guide

Black Survival Guide

Black Survival Guide

Black Survival Guide

Black Survival Guide

Black Survival Guide

Black Survival Guide

Black Survival Guide

Black Survival Guide

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot by Hank Willis Thomas

The past is always present. It is not always visible, but like the molecules that we are composed of, it is everywhere, ever-changing, and always part of us. Hank Willis Thomas

In 2018, the Delaware Art Museum partnered with organizations throughout the city of Wilmington, Delaware to mark 50 years since the powerful and community-changing public response that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. Civil disturbances in Wilmington followed by a nine-month-long occupation by the National Guard left an indelible mark on the community. The Museum commissioned artist Hank Willis Thomas to respond to the events of 1968 through the creation of a new work of art that sheds light on this complicated moment in the city’s history. Following the exhibition, the Museum acquired Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot from Thomas for the benefit of the communities it serves.

Hank Willis Thomas explores the complexities of race, gender, and class in his photography, sculpture, and video-based artwork. For this project, he combined historic News Journal photographs with the historic pamphlet Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot. Informed by the uprisings of 1967, Cold War-era nuclear fallout pamphlets, and guides published for African Americans to navigate institutional racism during segregations laws, the booklet serves as a practical manual for surviving an occupation. The guide outlines that police and media response will be followed by business closures, electricity outages, and travel restrictions. Provisions—food, water, and basic medical supplies—must be gathered, and those under siege must also know how to provide basic care for medical emergencies.

Thomas created a powerfully unique physical and visual viewing experience by combining image and text on retroreflective vinyl – a material widely used in road signage. The pages of the survival guide are activated when a flash of light catches the News Journal photograph underneath. Events on the verge of being lost to historical amnesia are revealed again. With this rediscovery, the viewer is placed in the position of the many individuals who directly or indirectly experienced these events—city residents, Wilmington firefighters, and National Guardsmen. For Thomas, this is how the past remains current, and how the “holes of narrative history” are exposed.

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot is organized by Deleware Art Museum, Wilmington, Deleware. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Museum of History; Delaware Museum of Art; Art Bridges

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot by Hank Willis Thomas

The past is always present. It is not always visible, but like the molecules that we are composed of, it is everywhere, ever-changing, and always part of us. Hank Willis Thomas

In 2018, the Delaware Art Museum partnered with organizations throughout the city of Wilmington, Delaware to mark 50 years since the powerful and community-changing public response that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. Civil disturbances in Wilmington followed by a nine-month-long occupation by the National Guard left an indelible mark on the community. The Museum commissioned artist Hank Willis Thomas to respond to the events of 1968 through the creation of a new work of art that sheds light on this complicated moment in the city’s history. Following the exhibition, the Museum acquired Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot from Thomas for the benefit of the communities it serves.

Hank Willis Thomas explores the complexities of race, gender, and class in his photography, sculpture, and video-based artwork. For this project, he combined historic News Journal photographs with the historic pamphlet Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot. Informed by the uprisings of 1967, Cold War-era nuclear fallout pamphlets, and guides published for African Americans to navigate institutional racism during segregations laws, the booklet serves as a practical manual for surviving an occupation. The guide outlines that police and media response will be followed by business closures, electricity outages, and travel restrictions. Provisions—food, water, and basic medical supplies—must be gathered, and those under siege must also know how to provide basic care for medical emergencies.

Thomas created a powerfully unique physical and visual viewing experience by combining image and text on retroreflective vinyl – a material widely used in road signage. The pages of the survival guide are activated when a flash of light catches the News Journal photograph underneath. Events on the verge of being lost to historical amnesia are revealed again. With this rediscovery, the viewer is placed in the position of the many individuals who directly or indirectly experienced these events—city residents, Wilmington firefighters, and National Guardsmen. For Thomas, this is how the past remains current, and how the “holes of narrative history” are exposed.

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot is organized by Deleware Art Museum, Wilmington, Deleware. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Museum of History; Delaware Museum of Art; Art Bridges

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot by Hank Willis Thomas

The past is always present. It is not always visible, but like the molecules that we are composed of, it is everywhere, ever-changing, and always part of us. Hank Willis Thomas

In 2018, the Delaware Art Museum partnered with organizations throughout the city of Wilmington, Delaware to mark 50 years since the powerful and community-changing public response that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. Civil disturbances in Wilmington followed by a nine-month-long occupation by the National Guard left an indelible mark on the community. The Museum commissioned artist Hank Willis Thomas to respond to the events of 1968 through the creation of a new work of art that sheds light on this complicated moment in the city’s history. Following the exhibition, the Museum acquired Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot from Thomas for the benefit of the communities it serves.

Hank Willis Thomas explores the complexities of race, gender, and class in his photography, sculpture, and video-based artwork. For this project, he combined historic News Journal photographs with the historic pamphlet Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot. Informed by the uprisings of 1967, Cold War-era nuclear fallout pamphlets, and guides published for African Americans to navigate institutional racism during segregations laws, the booklet serves as a practical manual for surviving an occupation. The guide outlines that police and media response will be followed by business closures, electricity outages, and travel restrictions. Provisions—food, water, and basic medical supplies—must be gathered, and those under siege must also know how to provide basic care for medical emergencies.

Thomas created a powerfully unique physical and visual viewing experience by combining image and text on retroreflective vinyl – a material widely used in road signage. The pages of the survival guide are activated when a flash of light catches the News Journal photograph underneath. Events on the verge of being lost to historical amnesia are revealed again. With this rediscovery, the viewer is placed in the position of the many individuals who directly or indirectly experienced these events—city residents, Wilmington firefighters, and National Guardsmen. For Thomas, this is how the past remains current, and how the “holes of narrative history” are exposed.

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot is organized by Deleware Art Museum, Wilmington, Deleware. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Museum of History; Delaware Museum of Art; Art Bridges

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot by Hank Willis Thomas

The past is always present. It is not always visible, but like the molecules that we are composed of, it is everywhere, ever-changing, and always part of us. Hank Willis Thomas

In 2018, the Delaware Art Museum partnered with organizations throughout the city of Wilmington, Delaware to mark 50 years since the powerful and community-changing public response that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. Civil disturbances in Wilmington followed by a nine-month-long occupation by the National Guard left an indelible mark on the community. The Museum commissioned artist Hank Willis Thomas to respond to the events of 1968 through the creation of a new work of art that sheds light on this complicated moment in the city’s history. Following the exhibition, the Museum acquired Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot from Thomas for the benefit of the communities it serves.

Hank Willis Thomas explores the complexities of race, gender, and class in his photography, sculpture, and video-based artwork. For this project, he combined historic News Journal photographs with the historic pamphlet Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot. Informed by the uprisings of 1967, Cold War-era nuclear fallout pamphlets, and guides published for African Americans to navigate institutional racism during segregations laws, the booklet serves as a practical manual for surviving an occupation. The guide outlines that police and media response will be followed by business closures, electricity outages, and travel restrictions. Provisions—food, water, and basic medical supplies—must be gathered, and those under siege must also know how to provide basic care for medical emergencies.

Thomas created a powerfully unique physical and visual viewing experience by combining image and text on retroreflective vinyl – a material widely used in road signage. The pages of the survival guide are activated when a flash of light catches the News Journal photograph underneath. Events on the verge of being lost to historical amnesia are revealed again. With this rediscovery, the viewer is placed in the position of the many individuals who directly or indirectly experienced these events—city residents, Wilmington firefighters, and National Guardsmen. For Thomas, this is how the past remains current, and how the “holes of narrative history” are exposed.

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot is organized by Deleware Art Museum, Wilmington, Deleware. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Museum of History; Delaware Museum of Art; Art Bridges

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot by Hank Willis Thomas

The past is always present. It is not always visible, but like the molecules that we are composed of, it is everywhere, ever-changing, and always part of us. Hank Willis Thomas

In 2018, the Delaware Art Museum partnered with organizations throughout the city of Wilmington, Delaware to mark 50 years since the powerful and community-changing public response that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. Civil disturbances in Wilmington followed by a nine-month-long occupation by the National Guard left an indelible mark on the community. The Museum commissioned artist Hank Willis Thomas to respond to the events of 1968 through the creation of a new work of art that sheds light on this complicated moment in the city’s history. Following the exhibition, the Museum acquired Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot from Thomas for the benefit of the communities it serves.

Hank Willis Thomas explores the complexities of race, gender, and class in his photography, sculpture, and video-based artwork. For this project, he combined historic News Journal photographs with the historic pamphlet Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot. Informed by the uprisings of 1967, Cold War-era nuclear fallout pamphlets, and guides published for African Americans to navigate institutional racism during segregations laws, the booklet serves as a practical manual for surviving an occupation. The guide outlines that police and media response will be followed by business closures, electricity outages, and travel restrictions. Provisions—food, water, and basic medical supplies—must be gathered, and those under siege must also know how to provide basic care for medical emergencies.

Thomas created a powerfully unique physical and visual viewing experience by combining image and text on retroreflective vinyl – a material widely used in road signage. The pages of the survival guide are activated when a flash of light catches the News Journal photograph underneath. Events on the verge of being lost to historical amnesia are revealed again. With this rediscovery, the viewer is placed in the position of the many individuals who directly or indirectly experienced these events—city residents, Wilmington firefighters, and National Guardsmen. For Thomas, this is how the past remains current, and how the “holes of narrative history” are exposed.

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot is organized by Deleware Art Museum, Wilmington, Deleware. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Museum of History; Delaware Museum of Art; Art Bridges

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot by Hank Willis Thomas

The past is always present. It is not always visible, but like the molecules that we are composed of, it is everywhere, ever-changing, and always part of us. Hank Willis Thomas

In 2018, the Delaware Art Museum partnered with organizations throughout the city of Wilmington, Delaware to mark 50 years since the powerful and community-changing public response that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. Civil disturbances in Wilmington followed by a nine-month-long occupation by the National Guard left an indelible mark on the community. The Museum commissioned artist Hank Willis Thomas to respond to the events of 1968 through the creation of a new work of art that sheds light on this complicated moment in the city’s history. Following the exhibition, the Museum acquired Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot from Thomas for the benefit of the communities it serves.

Hank Willis Thomas explores the complexities of race, gender, and class in his photography, sculpture, and video-based artwork. For this project, he combined historic News Journal photographs with the historic pamphlet Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot. Informed by the uprisings of 1967, Cold War-era nuclear fallout pamphlets, and guides published for African Americans to navigate institutional racism during segregations laws, the booklet serves as a practical manual for surviving an occupation. The guide outlines that police and media response will be followed by business closures, electricity outages, and travel restrictions. Provisions—food, water, and basic medical supplies—must be gathered, and those under siege must also know how to provide basic care for medical emergencies.

Thomas created a powerfully unique physical and visual viewing experience by combining image and text on retroreflective vinyl – a material widely used in road signage. The pages of the survival guide are activated when a flash of light catches the News Journal photograph underneath. Events on the verge of being lost to historical amnesia are revealed again. With this rediscovery, the viewer is placed in the position of the many individuals who directly or indirectly experienced these events—city residents, Wilmington firefighters, and National Guardsmen. For Thomas, this is how the past remains current, and how the “holes of narrative history” are exposed.

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot is organized by Deleware Art Museum, Wilmington, Deleware. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Museum of History; Delaware Museum of Art; Art Bridges

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot by Hank Willis Thomas

The past is always present. It is not always visible, but like the molecules that we are composed of, it is everywhere, ever-changing, and always part of us. Hank Willis Thomas

In 2018, the Delaware Art Museum partnered with organizations throughout the city of Wilmington, Delaware to mark 50 years since the powerful and community-changing public response that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. Civil disturbances in Wilmington followed by a nine-month-long occupation by the National Guard left an indelible mark on the community. The Museum commissioned artist Hank Willis Thomas to respond to the events of 1968 through the creation of a new work of art that sheds light on this complicated moment in the city’s history. Following the exhibition, the Museum acquired Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot from Thomas for the benefit of the communities it serves.

Hank Willis Thomas explores the complexities of race, gender, and class in his photography, sculpture, and video-based artwork. For this project, he combined historic News Journal photographs with the historic pamphlet Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot. Informed by the uprisings of 1967, Cold War-era nuclear fallout pamphlets, and guides published for African Americans to navigate institutional racism during segregations laws, the booklet serves as a practical manual for surviving an occupation. The guide outlines that police and media response will be followed by business closures, electricity outages, and travel restrictions. Provisions—food, water, and basic medical supplies—must be gathered, and those under siege must also know how to provide basic care for medical emergencies.

Thomas created a powerfully unique physical and visual viewing experience by combining image and text on retroreflective vinyl – a material widely used in road signage. The pages of the survival guide are activated when a flash of light catches the News Journal photograph underneath. Events on the verge of being lost to historical amnesia are revealed again. With this rediscovery, the viewer is placed in the position of the many individuals who directly or indirectly experienced these events—city residents, Wilmington firefighters, and National Guardsmen. For Thomas, this is how the past remains current, and how the “holes of narrative history” are exposed.

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot is organized by Deleware Art Museum, Wilmington, Deleware. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Museum of History; Delaware Museum of Art; Art Bridges

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot by Hank Willis Thomas

The past is always present. It is not always visible, but like the molecules that we are composed of, it is everywhere, ever-changing, and always part of us. Hank Willis Thomas

In 2018, the Delaware Art Museum partnered with organizations throughout the city of Wilmington, Delaware to mark 50 years since the powerful and community-changing public response that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. Civil disturbances in Wilmington followed by a nine-month-long occupation by the National Guard left an indelible mark on the community. The Museum commissioned artist Hank Willis Thomas to respond to the events of 1968 through the creation of a new work of art that sheds light on this complicated moment in the city’s history. Following the exhibition, the Museum acquired Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot from Thomas for the benefit of the communities it serves.

Hank Willis Thomas explores the complexities of race, gender, and class in his photography, sculpture, and video-based artwork. For this project, he combined historic News Journal photographs with the historic pamphlet Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot. Informed by the uprisings of 1967, Cold War-era nuclear fallout pamphlets, and guides published for African Americans to navigate institutional racism during segregations laws, the booklet serves as a practical manual for surviving an occupation. The guide outlines that police and media response will be followed by business closures, electricity outages, and travel restrictions. Provisions—food, water, and basic medical supplies—must be gathered, and those under siege must also know how to provide basic care for medical emergencies.

Thomas created a powerfully unique physical and visual viewing experience by combining image and text on retroreflective vinyl – a material widely used in road signage. The pages of the survival guide are activated when a flash of light catches the News Journal photograph underneath. Events on the verge of being lost to historical amnesia are revealed again. With this rediscovery, the viewer is placed in the position of the many individuals who directly or indirectly experienced these events—city residents, Wilmington firefighters, and National Guardsmen. For Thomas, this is how the past remains current, and how the “holes of narrative history” are exposed.

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot is organized by Deleware Art Museum, Wilmington, Deleware. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Museum of History; Delaware Museum of Art; Art Bridges

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot by Hank Willis Thomas

The past is always present. It is not always visible, but like the molecules that we are composed of, it is everywhere, ever-changing, and always part of us. Hank Willis Thomas

In 2018, the Delaware Art Museum partnered with organizations throughout the city of Wilmington, Delaware to mark 50 years since the powerful and community-changing public response that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. Civil disturbances in Wilmington followed by a nine-month-long occupation by the National Guard left an indelible mark on the community. The Museum commissioned artist Hank Willis Thomas to respond to the events of 1968 through the creation of a new work of art that sheds light on this complicated moment in the city’s history. Following the exhibition, the Museum acquired Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot from Thomas for the benefit of the communities it serves.

Hank Willis Thomas explores the complexities of race, gender, and class in his photography, sculpture, and video-based artwork. For this project, he combined historic News Journal photographs with the historic pamphlet Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot. Informed by the uprisings of 1967, Cold War-era nuclear fallout pamphlets, and guides published for African Americans to navigate institutional racism during segregations laws, the booklet serves as a practical manual for surviving an occupation. The guide outlines that police and media response will be followed by business closures, electricity outages, and travel restrictions. Provisions—food, water, and basic medical supplies—must be gathered, and those under siege must also know how to provide basic care for medical emergencies.

Thomas created a powerfully unique physical and visual viewing experience by combining image and text on retroreflective vinyl – a material widely used in road signage. The pages of the survival guide are activated when a flash of light catches the News Journal photograph underneath. Events on the verge of being lost to historical amnesia are revealed again. With this rediscovery, the viewer is placed in the position of the many individuals who directly or indirectly experienced these events—city residents, Wilmington firefighters, and National Guardsmen. For Thomas, this is how the past remains current, and how the “holes of narrative history” are exposed.

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot is organized by Deleware Art Museum, Wilmington, Deleware. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Museum of History; Delaware Museum of Art; Art Bridges

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot by Hank Willis Thomas

The past is always present. It is not always visible, but like the molecules that we are composed of, it is everywhere, ever-changing, and always part of us. Hank Willis Thomas

In 2018, the Delaware Art Museum partnered with organizations throughout the city of Wilmington, Delaware to mark 50 years since the powerful and community-changing public response that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. Civil disturbances in Wilmington followed by a nine-month-long occupation by the National Guard left an indelible mark on the community. The Museum commissioned artist Hank Willis Thomas to respond to the events of 1968 through the creation of a new work of art that sheds light on this complicated moment in the city’s history. Following the exhibition, the Museum acquired Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot from Thomas for the benefit of the communities it serves.

Hank Willis Thomas explores the complexities of race, gender, and class in his photography, sculpture, and video-based artwork. For this project, he combined historic News Journal photographs with the historic pamphlet Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot. Informed by the uprisings of 1967, Cold War-era nuclear fallout pamphlets, and guides published for African Americans to navigate institutional racism during segregations laws, the booklet serves as a practical manual for surviving an occupation. The guide outlines that police and media response will be followed by business closures, electricity outages, and travel restrictions. Provisions—food, water, and basic medical supplies—must be gathered, and those under siege must also know how to provide basic care for medical emergencies.

Thomas created a powerfully unique physical and visual viewing experience by combining image and text on retroreflective vinyl – a material widely used in road signage. The pages of the survival guide are activated when a flash of light catches the News Journal photograph underneath. Events on the verge of being lost to historical amnesia are revealed again. With this rediscovery, the viewer is placed in the position of the many individuals who directly or indirectly experienced these events—city residents, Wilmington firefighters, and National Guardsmen. For Thomas, this is how the past remains current, and how the “holes of narrative history” are exposed.

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot is organized by Deleware Art Museum, Wilmington, Deleware. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Museum of History; Delaware Museum of Art; Art Bridges

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot by Hank Willis Thomas

The past is always present. It is not always visible, but like the molecules that we are composed of, it is everywhere, ever-changing, and always part of us. Hank Willis Thomas

In 2018, the Delaware Art Museum partnered with organizations throughout the city of Wilmington, Delaware to mark 50 years since the powerful and community-changing public response that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. Civil disturbances in Wilmington followed by a nine-month-long occupation by the National Guard left an indelible mark on the community. The Museum commissioned artist Hank Willis Thomas to respond to the events of 1968 through the creation of a new work of art that sheds light on this complicated moment in the city’s history. Following the exhibition, the Museum acquired Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot from Thomas for the benefit of the communities it serves.

Hank Willis Thomas explores the complexities of race, gender, and class in his photography, sculpture, and video-based artwork. For this project, he combined historic News Journal photographs with the historic pamphlet Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot. Informed by the uprisings of 1967, Cold War-era nuclear fallout pamphlets, and guides published for African Americans to navigate institutional racism during segregations laws, the booklet serves as a practical manual for surviving an occupation. The guide outlines that police and media response will be followed by business closures, electricity outages, and travel restrictions. Provisions—food, water, and basic medical supplies—must be gathered, and those under siege must also know how to provide basic care for medical emergencies.

Thomas created a powerfully unique physical and visual viewing experience by combining image and text on retroreflective vinyl – a material widely used in road signage. The pages of the survival guide are activated when a flash of light catches the News Journal photograph underneath. Events on the verge of being lost to historical amnesia are revealed again. With this rediscovery, the viewer is placed in the position of the many individuals who directly or indirectly experienced these events—city residents, Wilmington firefighters, and National Guardsmen. For Thomas, this is how the past remains current, and how the “holes of narrative history” are exposed.

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot is organized by Deleware Art Museum, Wilmington, Deleware. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Museum of History; Delaware Museum of Art; Art Bridges

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot by Hank Willis Thomas

The past is always present. It is not always visible, but like the molecules that we are composed of, it is everywhere, ever-changing, and always part of us. Hank Willis Thomas

In 2018, the Delaware Art Museum partnered with organizations throughout the city of Wilmington, Delaware to mark 50 years since the powerful and community-changing public response that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. Civil disturbances in Wilmington followed by a nine-month-long occupation by the National Guard left an indelible mark on the community. The Museum commissioned artist Hank Willis Thomas to respond to the events of 1968 through the creation of a new work of art that sheds light on this complicated moment in the city’s history. Following the exhibition, the Museum acquired Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot from Thomas for the benefit of the communities it serves.

Hank Willis Thomas explores the complexities of race, gender, and class in his photography, sculpture, and video-based artwork. For this project, he combined historic News Journal photographs with the historic pamphlet Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot. Informed by the uprisings of 1967, Cold War-era nuclear fallout pamphlets, and guides published for African Americans to navigate institutional racism during segregations laws, the booklet serves as a practical manual for surviving an occupation. The guide outlines that police and media response will be followed by business closures, electricity outages, and travel restrictions. Provisions—food, water, and basic medical supplies—must be gathered, and those under siege must also know how to provide basic care for medical emergencies.

Thomas created a powerfully unique physical and visual viewing experience by combining image and text on retroreflective vinyl – a material widely used in road signage. The pages of the survival guide are activated when a flash of light catches the News Journal photograph underneath. Events on the verge of being lost to historical amnesia are revealed again. With this rediscovery, the viewer is placed in the position of the many individuals who directly or indirectly experienced these events—city residents, Wilmington firefighters, and National Guardsmen. For Thomas, this is how the past remains current, and how the “holes of narrative history” are exposed.

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot is organized by Deleware Art Museum, Wilmington, Deleware. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Museum of History; Delaware Museum of Art; Art Bridges

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot by Hank Willis Thomas

The past is always present. It is not always visible, but like the molecules that we are composed of, it is everywhere, ever-changing, and always part of us. Hank Willis Thomas

In 2018, the Delaware Art Museum partnered with organizations throughout the city of Wilmington, Delaware to mark 50 years since the powerful and community-changing public response that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. Civil disturbances in Wilmington followed by a nine-month-long occupation by the National Guard left an indelible mark on the community. The Museum commissioned artist Hank Willis Thomas to respond to the events of 1968 through the creation of a new work of art that sheds light on this complicated moment in the city’s history. Following the exhibition, the Museum acquired Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot from Thomas for the benefit of the communities it serves.

Hank Willis Thomas explores the complexities of race, gender, and class in his photography, sculpture, and video-based artwork. For this project, he combined historic News Journal photographs with the historic pamphlet Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot. Informed by the uprisings of 1967, Cold War-era nuclear fallout pamphlets, and guides published for African Americans to navigate institutional racism during segregations laws, the booklet serves as a practical manual for surviving an occupation. The guide outlines that police and media response will be followed by business closures, electricity outages, and travel restrictions. Provisions—food, water, and basic medical supplies—must be gathered, and those under siege must also know how to provide basic care for medical emergencies.

Thomas created a powerfully unique physical and visual viewing experience by combining image and text on retroreflective vinyl – a material widely used in road signage. The pages of the survival guide are activated when a flash of light catches the News Journal photograph underneath. Events on the verge of being lost to historical amnesia are revealed again. With this rediscovery, the viewer is placed in the position of the many individuals who directly or indirectly experienced these events—city residents, Wilmington firefighters, and National Guardsmen. For Thomas, this is how the past remains current, and how the “holes of narrative history” are exposed.

Black Survival Guide, or How to Live Through a Police Riot is organized by Deleware Art Museum, Wilmington, Deleware. Support provided by Art Bridges.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso Museum of History; Delaware Museum of Art; Art Bridges

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Report this entry

Choose the most important reason for this report

Your name

Your email address

Optional detail

Thank you for your report

More from the same community-collection

Christmas Lights

The image displays Christmas lights on San Jacinto Plaza. One ...

Plaza Hotel Topped Off in 1976

This picture was taken in 1976 and captures the moment when the ...

Alligator Sculpture

This fiberglass sculpture by Luis Jimenez is situated at San ...

Lagarto Sculpture with Doves - El Paso, Texas

The photograph shows a part of the fiberglass sculpture by Luis ...

Christmas San Jacinto Plaza - El Paso, Texas - 2013

This photograph captures the Christmas lights on San Jacinto ...

Bench on San Jacinto Plaza

The photograph pictures a beautifully carved bench on San ...

Antique Clock on San Jacinto Plaza

This clock is installed on San Jacinto Plaza. The inscription in ...

Alligator Sculpture - El Paso, Texas

The photograph shows the fiberglass sculpture by Luis Jimenez, ...

Cortez Hotel - 1976

“Cortez Hotel, from State National Bank, c1976.” The ...

Front of Plaza Theater

This picture shows the front of the Plaza Theater. Like many ...

Antique Street Light

This picture shows an antique but restored street light in front ...

Plaza Theater in 1985

This picture of the Plaza Theater was taken in 1985 - one year ...

Ceiling and Chandelier in the Plaza Theater

This picture was taken in the Axelson Grand Lobby of the Plaza ...

Bernice Dittmer Doner Salon in the Plaza Theater

This picture was taken in the Bernice Dittmer Doner Salon in the ...

Plaza Theater at Night

This photograph shows the Plaza Theater at night. Throughout the ...

Detail of Ceiling in Plaza Theater

This image captures a detail of the intricately painted ceilings ...

Axelson Grand Lobby in the Plaza Theater

This picture displays the Axelson Grand Lobby. It is marked by ...

Kendle Elizabeth Kidd Performance Hall in Plaza Theater

The performance hall of the Historic Plaza Theater is named in ...

Main Library from Outside

This new building is in El Paso, Texas. This picture from 2008 ...

Glasses in Front of New Main Library

These large glasses were installed in front of the new main ...

Inside of Main Library

This picture was taken inside the new Main Library on Cleveland ...

Camino Real Hotel in 2010

This picture of the Camino Real Hotel was taken in November ...

City Hall from Santa Fe St

This photograph was taken from Santa Fe and Main Street. It ...

home.search_collection