'TESTIFY: Americana from Slavery to Today' debuts at Cargill Hall Gallery at Central Library

Exhibit of art and artifacts from the Diane and Alan Page Collection reframes the current conversation about racial justice, coinciding with Super Bowl LII

Football Hall of Famer and former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page, along with Diane Sims Page, Executive Director of the Page Education Foundation, will publicly present TESTIFY, a preview of their collection of Americana. The wide-ranging exhibit will feature art and artifacts from pivotal eras in American history while also providing a platform for visitors to share their thoughts, feelings and personal experiences.

The exhibit will be open January 8-February 6, in Cargill Hall at the Minneapolis Central Library, 300 Nicollet Mall.

Inspired by the recent resurgence of racial tension in our country, TESTIFY gives context and definition to the conversation, serving as a reminder of the history that brings us to today.

“Before reconciliation there must be truth – and the truth can be ugly,” said Justice Page. “But we cannot be reconciled and move forward if an increasingly louder group of people continue to deflect, minimize and sweep history under the rug.”

TESTIFY'S message of hope

“At a time when the past seems ever more present, the 100-plus objects in the exhibit will juxtapose artifacts from our often-painful, shared history with inspiring imagery and works of art that help us rise above it,” said Diane Page. “My hope is that by coming to grips with our past we can come together in the future.”

Objects in the exhibit include:

• A slave collar used in Virginia in the 1820s. This brutal artifact is a sharp contrast to the irreverent depictions of slaves that soon flooded into popular culture.
• An Abraham Lincoln funeral banner from 1865. The declaration “Our Country Shall Be One Country” greeted the funeral procession as it carried the slain president across the country.
• Works by Carrie Mae Weems, Charles White and Clementine Hunter, which reclaim the African-American narrative and reflect a strong, specific and beautiful history of self-representation.

Be moved

The exhibit will also include a “Testification Station,” an interactive display in front of a massing of Jim Crow-era signage and memorabilia, where visitors will be invited to testify to their experiences on a judgment-free platform.

The public is invited to an opening viewing and reception, sponsored by the Friends of the Hennepin County Library, on Thursday, January 11, 7 to 8 p.m., at Minneapolis Central Library.

The exhibit was curated by the Pages in conversation with local curatorial consultants, and is presented with the support of the Friends of the Hennepin County Library, the Minnesota Vikings, The McKnight Foundation, the Pohlad Family Foundation, The Minneapolis Foundation and Robins Kaplan LLP.
 
The Diane and Alan Page Collection

The Diane and Alan Page Collection is a selection of art and artifacts that paints a portrait of race relations and representation in the 19th through 21st centuries. Gathered by Diane and Alan Page over decades of civic engagement and very personal work in their community, the collection reflects their belief that even as we face the most painful aspects of our past so that they will not be repeated, we must also find bright moments of transcendence that point another way forward.

Cargill Hall

An exhibition space located in Minneapolis Central Library, Cargill Hall presents exhibits and related programs in support of the library's mission to "nourish minds, transform lives, and build community together." Six major exhibits are presented annually, drawing from exhibits on loan from other institutions, exhibits curated by community partners, and exhibits featuring library collections. Topics may be interdisciplinary and include visual art, history, culture, literature and science.

TESTIFY: Americana from Slavery to Today from The Diane and Alan Page Collection

January 8 – February 6

Hennepin County Library–Minneapolis Central, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis
The gallery will be open during library hours.

The exhibit will be open January 8-February 6, in Cargill Hall at Hennepin County Library—Minneapolis Central, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis.