Exhibit Features Photos of African American Life in Early 20th Century Northern New York
The Plattsburgh State Art Museum will play host to “What Remains: Voices from the
Margins of History,” an exhibit of photographs from the Clinton County Historical
Association, June 20 through Oct. 2 in the Slatkin Study Room, Myers Fine Arts Building.
“What Remains” is a visual archive of early 20th century African American life in the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain region, captured through the lens of photographer Daniel Brush, according to Jackie Madison, president of the North Country Underground Railroad Association, which is curating the exhibit.
The timing of the museum’s opening dovetails with Juneteenth, the annual holiday commemorating the day in 1865 — June 19 — when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, bringing freedom to the state’s enslaved population more than two years after the end of the Civil War.
“Many of these individuals were ordinary working-class people that lived, loved, and thrived in the Northeast region of New York and whose cultural contributions are both powerful and noteworthy,” Madison said. “(It) illuminates individuals whose stories have gone unrecorded yet whose presence shaped the cultural fabric of the North Country.”
Tonya Cribb, director of the Plattsburgh State Art Museum, said it is understood that the photos on display feature African Americans who are suspected to have been in the area as part of the military base from about 1910 to 1930. Brush died in 1938.
“Each photograph offers a glimpse into lives lived with purpose,” Madison said. “Through
these striking images, guests encounter men and women who embodied dignity, resilience
and quiet strength. Though many were working-class individuals, their lives reflect
a richness of experience, rooted in community, labor, family and aspiration.”
An opening reception will be held 4-6 p.m. in Myers and will feature an encore musical performance by “King Solomon” Hicks in the Winkel Sculpture Court. The 26-year-old Harlem native and blues guitarist performs a range of music, from jazz, blues, classical and gospel to R&B, funk, Afro-Cuban and classic rock. Caller a “phenom,” he has been a blues guitarist since he was 13.
“(Hicks) has a full show the prior day on June 19 at RetroLive (downtown Plattsburgh), so if folks miss out on that, they can join us here the following day for an intimate reprisal,” Cribb said.
For more information including gallery hours and contact information, visit https://www.plattsburgh.edu/plattslife/arts/art-museum/museum-exhibitions.html.
Please note: Because of construction to the front of Myers, entry is through the doors that face Amite Plaza. Parking is available across the street in Lot 16, between Memorial and Saranac halls.
— By Associate Director of Communications Gerianne Downs
— Photos Provided by the Clinton County Historical Association
