Donald Russell, Director, Provisions Research Center for Art & Social Change, Director, Mason Exhibitions, University Curator, College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA), received funding for the project: "Black Displacement and Mobility in Arlington County."
The goal of the project is to create a database of researched information that evidences Black displacement, migration, mobility, and the legacy of the Black diaspora that remains today in Arlington County.
The database will consist of maps, oral histories, census data, photographs, historic Black newspapers, travel guides such as The Green Book, land surveys, Black businesses, real estate transactions, churches, cemeteries, schools (segregated and integrated), and related examples of Black cultural life in Arlington County, historically and contemporarily. It will identify key issues, topics, and events that will lead to meaningful artistic engagement and be a significant learning source for the Arlington community.
Research categories will seek to identify key Black individuals, places, moments, lore, objects, artifacts, and events that can be used to shed new light on Arlington’s history through future contemporary public art projects.
"The project is intended to uncover hidden truths of the history of Black people in Arlington County. The research results will be used in the commissioning of future public art projects and exhibitions which will explore new cultural narratives for Arlington County and increase public awareness for generations to come about Black mobility and displacement," Russell said.
Russell received $25,000 from Arlington County for this project. Funding began in Oct. 2023 and will end in late June 2024 (can be extended).
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