Art and Activism at Tougaloo College

The striking book sheds new light on the collecting history at a liberal arts college in Mississippi

This book spotlights a complex art collection established at the intersection of modern art and social justice. In 1963, as civil rights protests swirled across the fiercely segregated state, this historically Black college became an unlikely hub in Mississippi envisioned as “an interracial oasis in which the fine arts are the focus and magnet.”

Since its founding in 1869 by the abolitionist-led American Missionary Association, Tougaloo College has made the fight for equality central to its mission. In 1963, Tougaloo became the nexus for modern art in Mississippi, when leaders of the New York art world began a rich program of art acquisitions. This publication features two essays and approximately thirty-five selections from this distinctive collection by diverse artists such as Francis Picabia, Jacob Lawrence, and Alma Thomas.