What better way to end Black History Month than with a deep-dive into the life of Congressman John Lewis in the exhibition, The Art of March: A Civil Rights Masterpiece at The Society of Illustrators.
The exhibition, The Art of March: A Civil Rights Masterpiece, based on the third book of the March trilogy, is a timely celebration of the life of activist and civil rights leader, Congressman John Lewis. The exhibition will display over 150 pieces of original artwork, interactive materials, and new exhibition essays by Jonathan W. Gray, Associate Professor of English at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and author of Civil Rights in the White Literary Imagination: Innocence by Association. The exhibit will walk viewers along a timeline of “the civil rights movement and its pivotal moments, people and philosophies.” The exhibit will also give viewers a glimpse behind-the-scenes of how this novel was created.
Related public events in conjunction with this exhibit will be organized by The Society of Illustrators, with an Opening Reception on March 1st at 6:30pm. Stay tuned to their website for a complete schedule of events, which will include lectures. panels, tours and workshops.
The March trilogy is a black and white graphic novel trilogy about the Civil Rights Movement, written by Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, with illustration and lettering done by Nate Powell. March: Book One was published in 2013; March: Book Two in 2015; and the book that this exhibit is based on, March: Book Three, was published in August 2016. All of these books are available in paperback and e-book formats.
In addition, Nate Powell and Andrew Aydin will be Guests of Honor at MoCCA Arts Festival 2018, which will be held on April 7-8, 2018 at Metropolitan West, 653 eleventh Avenue, at 48th Street, NYC.
The Art of March: A Civil Rights Masterpiece exhibition is co-curated by John Lind (Creative Director, Kitchen Sink Books, an imprint of Dark Horse Comics) and Charles Brownstein (Executive Director, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund). Art by Nate Powell. The exhibit will be on view from February 28 through June 30, 2018 at the Society of Illustrators, 128 East 63rd Street, NYC, with an Opening Reception on March 1st at 6:30pm.