Bernard and Shirley Kinsey to Speak at Exhibit Opening Reception
MEDIA CONTACT:
Will Jones
(513) 333-7558
(513) 288-4834
wjones@nurfc.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CINCINNATI, OH (October 11, 2017) – The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center announced today that Bernard and Shirley Kinsey will speak at the opening reception for The Kinsey African American Art & History Collection on Friday November 3 at 6:00 p.m. Tickets for the opening reception are $25.00 and are available for purchase at freedomcenter.org. The reception is free for National Underground Railroad Freedom Center members.
Bernard and Shirley Kinsey have a passion for African American history, art and culture and one of the largest private collections of African American art, artifacts and documents, spanning 400 years of history. Amassed during more than four decades of the Kinseys’ marriage, the collection features work by Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence and Richard Mayhew alongside archival material related to Frederick Douglass, Zora Neale Hurston and Malcolm X. The Kinsey African American Art & History Collection is presented by Macy’s.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Kinsey African American Art & History Collection as this unique exhibit will challenge and redefine African American identity and representation in history and the arts,” says Dan Hurley, Interim President of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “Our guests will be amazed to learn of the many great stories that span from even before the era of the Underground Railroad when they experience this world-renowned exhibit.”
The Kinseys will discuss how they obtained some of the exhibit’s key pieces and answer questions guests may have about the artifacts, artwork and documents on display at the opening reception.
“We are honored to return to Cincinnati with an even larger collection that is especially important during these critical times for people to gain a deeper understanding of our history as a nation,” says Bernard Kinsey. “The real history of African American triumphs and contributions should no longer remain a secret. It should explode into our collective conscience.”
The Kinsey African American Art & History Collection opens to the public on Saturday, November 4 at 11:00 a.m. Tickets for the reception on Friday, November 3, are available for purchase at freedomcenter.org for $25. National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Members are free. For more information visit, freedomcenter.org.
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center opened in August 2004 on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Since then, more than 1.3 million people have visited its permanent and changing exhibits and public programs, inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom. Two million people have utilized educational resources online at freedomcenter.org, working to connect the lessons of the Underground Railroad to inform and inspire today’s global and local fight for freedom. Partnerships include Historians Against Slavery, Polaris Project, Free the Slaves, US Department of State and International Justice Mission. In 2014, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center launched a new online resource in the fight against modern slavery, endslaverynow.org.