New Art Commission Interrogates Davidson College's History with Racism

Bethany Collins, Dixie’s Land

Bethany Collins, Dixie’s Land (1859–2001), 2020, Charcoal, toner and graphite on paper, 10-part installation, 14” x 26” each. Commissioned for the Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College, with funds from the Justice, Equality, and Community Grant. Image Courtesy of the Artist and Patron Gallery, Chicago, IL.

With the support of the Justice, Equality and Community Grant, the Davidson College Art Galleries invited Bethany Collins to be the 2019–2020 Humanities Practitioner-in-Residence.

Collins was asked to engage with documents in the archive related to Davidson College’s history of racism and slavery and then, create a new work of art for our collection.

The result, Dixie’s Land (1859–2001), premiered in From Pandemic to Protests this past fall.

Visualizing Social Isolation and Social Injustices through the Davidson College Art Collection

Published

  • November 13, 2020