This remarkable exhibition brings together more than two dozen artists working in a broad range of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, moving images, fiber arts, video, and oral histories. Some works are based on actual documents from history, placed in surprising new contexts. For instance, in his Hold, Separate but Equal, Malcolm Bailey recreates the famous 19^th century graphic of a slave ship packed tightly with bodies – only now the crouching "human cargo" is divided equally between white and Black figures. Cedric Smith’s Slave Ads explores the unspoken power struggles between "masters" and the enslaved through old runaway slave advertisements. And although quilts are usually associated with quiet, domestic, women’s work, in her Slave Rape Story Quilt, Faith Ringgold uses this folk art to pose questions about domination, resistance, and personal courage.

While providing a contemporary perspective on slavery, Legacies also reminds us that slavery still affects millions of people of all races around the world today. The American Anti-Slavery Group's New Captivity Narratives juxtaposes video testimony from modern day survivors of slavery with the voices of their nineteenth-century counterparts.

Exhibition curator Cynthia Copeland said that she really enjoyed working on the exhibition with her colleagues Kathleen Hulser and Laurie Simms. "We wanted people to see that slavery didn't die in New York in 1827 and then later in the entire country in the mid-19^th century," she explained. "We wanted them to get the connection with slavery and what we experience today in terms of racial prejudice and the role of gender. It's interesting to see how artists of color have grappled with these historical issues and presented them in a cultural form that brings meaning to many people."

Charlene Cornelia Hines, who came from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to see Legacies, said that it brought to mind the excellent children’s book To Be a Slave by Julius Lester. "There are certain things that we have to face up to if we are ever to move on," she stated. "I think this exhibition can help."

Legacies: Contemporary Artists Reflect on Slavery runs through January 7^th, 2007 at the New-York Historical Society, Central Park West and 77^th Street in Manhattan. It can be seen in conjunction with New York Divided: Slavery and the Civil War, which runs through September 3, 2007. Admission is free on Fridays, 6-8 pm. For more information, call (212) 873-3400 or visit www.nyhistory.org.

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