September 25, 2018

Art meets history in African American Museum's new exhibition 'Cotton'

Large-scale photographs examine the plant's beauty, as well as its link to slavery

By Sinead Cummings
PhillyVoice Staff

Courtesy of vist philadelphia/PhillyVoice

African American Museum in Philadelphia.

"Cotton: The Soft, Dangerous Beauty of the Past" is a new exhibition at the African American Museum in Philadelphia that examines both the beauty of the fluffy fiber and its link to slavery in the United States.

Created by Philadelphia-based artist John E. Dowell, the exhibition highlights the often overlooked history of slavery in the North, specifically in New York City.

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There are large-scale photographs and installations, as well as an altarpiece, that help tell the story of cotton's relationship to American history. One installation allows visitors to feel as though they're walking through a cotton field.

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On view now at AAMP, “Cotton: The Soft Dangerous Beauty of the Past” by John Dowell. Plan your visit today at aampmuseum.org! —————————————————————————————— 📷: by M. Edlow, visitor “Lost in Cotton”

A post shared by African American Museum In PHL (@aampmuseum) on Sep 24, 2018 at 7:44am PDT

Dowell "meticulously documents cotton as a symbol to channel ideas, dreams and fantasies – and as a portal to communicate with ancestors and with the viewer," according to the museum.

"Cotton," which opened earlier this month, will be on display through Jan. 21.

The African American Museum, founded in 1976, is the first institution built by a major U.S. city to preserve, interpret and exhibit the heritage and culture of African-Americans.