Adventures in Ideas Series Continues with 'Exploring the African American Experience in Maryland History' October 1

SALISBURY, MD---Ruth Starr Rose may not yet be a household name in the art world. Her legacy, however, remains an important part of Eastern Shore and African American history.

The early- to mid-20th century artist spent the bulk of her career painting scenes from the Shore’s African American community. The dignity and compassion with which she portrayed her subjects — from sail makers, to crab pickers, to soldiers, many the descendants of abolitionists Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman — provides a rare look at African American life on the Delmarva Peninsula during that time.

Drs. Aston Gonzalez and Creston Long of Salisbury University’s History Department explore the window her paintings provide into African American life during that era by placing these individuals in broader regional and national context during this first presentation in this academic year’s Adventures in Ideas: Humanities Seminar Series.

Their discussion, “Exploring the African American Experience in Maryland History,” is 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, October 1, in Conway Hall Room 179.

Gonzalez is in the process of writing a book titled Visualizing Equality: African American Champions of Race, Rights and Visual Culture, 1830-1880, which charts the changing roles of African American activists who produced and used images in the fight for rights. Long, who teaches U.S. and Maryland history, is the new director of SU’s Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture.

The seminar is held in connection with SU’s multi-gallery exhibition of Rose’s work, “Ruth Starr Rose (1887-1965): Revelations of African American Life in Maryland and the World.”

Curated by Dr. Barbara Paca and developed for the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture in Baltimore, the exhibit is on display at the University Gallery of Fulton Hall through Saturday, October 29, and at the Nabb Research Center through Friday, December 2. The exhibition is underwritten by Brown Capital Management, Inc., a Baltimore-based investment management firm.

Sponsored by the Charles R. and Martha N. Fulton School of Liberal Arts and Whaley Family Foundation, the Adventures in Ideas series is designed to replicate the college learning experience without grades or tests.

Admission is $30, including breakfast and lunch. Advance registration is required. To register call 410-543-6450 or e-mail dmcarey@salisbury.edu. For more information visit the SU website at www.salisbury.edu.