AAC, MTCC Announce Flash Call for Art Inspired by ‘The Green Book’

Featured Image Photo of a Mother, Father and child Standing by a Car, 1948-1970s. Rev. Henry Clay Anderson. Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. (c) Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Posted By: Arkansas Arts Council

Posted: Friday, July 02nd 2021

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Arkansas artists are invited to submit artwork related to or inspired by “The Negro Motorist Green Book” exhibition at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center for the opportunity to have work selected for a permanent collection at the museum. The deadline to submit work is July 16.

The Arkansas Arts Council and Mosaic Templars Cultural Center encourage artists statewide to tell the story of “The Green Book” in Arkansas. The program seeks visual artworks related to “The Green Book” that invoke and evoke emotions, capture historical moments and tell stories that highlight personal connections to the past and present-day life.

Artists may submit a value for each of their submitted works. Up to three artworks may be submitted per artist. Artwork may be in any style or medium but must be two dimensional and fit into a frame of 18 inches by 24 inches. Selected artworks will be housed and maintained at MTCC.

Images of work may be submitted for free in a jpg format (400K or less) via email at [email protected]. The deadline for submission is 5 p.m. Friday, July 16. Purchase awards will be granted through the Arkansas Arts Council with work chosen by a panel of jurors from Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. Selected artwork must be delivered to MTCC by Saturday, July 24. Artwork must be matted or mounted to fit a 18-inch-by-24-inch frame, which will be provided by MTCC. Please include ¼-inch backing board with the artwork.

The exhibition, “The Negro Motorist Green Book,” is at Mosaic Templars Cultural Center through Aug. 1. Selected artworks will be displayed in part of the museum with the exhibition during the last week of July. For more information, email [email protected].

About “The Negro Motorist Green Book”

Started in 1936 by Harlem postman Victor Green, “The Negro Motorist Green Book” was a guide published over three decades that helped African Americans travel the country safely, and with dignity, during a time of Jim Crow laws and segregation. “The Green Book” was also an indispensable resource for the era’s successful Black-owned businesses and rising African American middle class.

“The Negro Motorist Green Book,” an exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) in collaboration with award-winning author, photographer and cultural documentarian, Candacy Taylor, offers an immersive look at the reality of travel for African Americans in mid-century America and how the annual guide served as an indispensable resource for the nation’s rising African American middle class and evidence of a vibrant business class. “The Negro Motorist Green Book” is made possible through the support of Exxon Mobil Corp.

About Mosaic Templars Cultural Center

The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, a museum of Arkansas Heritage, is dedicated to preserving, interpreting and celebrating African American history and culture in Arkansas. Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Historic Preservation, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Arkansas State Archives, Delta Cultural Center, Historic Arkansas Museum and Old State House Museum are also parts of Arkansas Heritage, a division of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.