“Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, the freedom from want and the freedom from fear.” These are the four freedoms President Franklin D. Roosevelt outlined in his historical 1941 State of the Union Address, as the United States prepared to aid Britain in a second World War that was steadily unfolding. For the Saturday Evening Post, artist Norman Rockwell interpreted the speech with a series of paintings showing everyday Americans embodying liberation.
Seventy years later, with that dream so far from reality for so many in the US, artists Hank Willis Thomas, Eric Gottesman, Michelle Woo and Wyatt Gallery have formed an artist collective called For Freedoms, an art-led civic organization “that centers art and creativity as a catalyst for transformative connection and collective liberation.” Their interpretation of Roosevelt’s vision outlines “justice, listening, healing and awakening” as the freedoms demanded by our modern social and political climate.
For Freedom’s latest offering is an exhibition at The Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York, titled Another Justice: US is Them. Curated by Hank Willis Thomas, it runs through November 6th. Last week, the museum partnered with global arts club The Cultivist and Chantecaille for an afternoon tour, inviting viewers to meditate on what justice must look like in this time of upheaval. It was led by Zoe Buckman, one of the featured artists whose work is shown alongside Hank, Pamela Council, Jeremy Dennis, Jeffery Gibson, Eric Gottesman, Christine Sun Kim, Muna Malik, Joiri Minaya, Koyoltzintli Miranda-Rivadeneira, Kambul Olujimi and Marie Watt.
Part of a larger campaign by For Freedoms called ‘Another Justice: By Any Medium Necessary,’ the show spans both the Parrish galleries, and the museum grounds — showcasing a piece of Hank’s installed on the side of the building that reads ‘Remember Me’ in bold neon lights.
Within the galleries, highlights include Zoe’s embroidery work complicating feminism and sexual violence, Kambul’s watercolors of presidential assassins, textile works by Hank that reimagine the American flag, Christine’s wall paintings uplifting American Sign Language and sculptures by Pamela exploring her family ancestry.
The Indigenous artists of the group collaborated on a series of 62-foot digital billboards on the Shinnecock Monuments on Sunrise Highway, which also serve as an extension of the show. Most of these works were created for the exhibition, and all of these artists will be participating in a residency at the nearby Watermill Center, aligned with public programming and town halls with local community members around justice and equity. Their main aim is to actively bring the show’s message out into the community.
Credits
Images courtesy of The Parrish Art Museum.
Works by Hank Willis Thomas courtesy of Jack Shainman Gallery.