Forever Stamps are US first-class stamps that retain their value forever. If you buy them at, say, 50 cents a stamp, even after the first-class postage rate goes up, your Forever Stamp will still be valid. And it’s this concept of perpetual retention of value that makes artist Paul Rucker’s show so compelling. … Continue readingThe Stranger – The People History Forgot

Paul Rucker‘s traveling exhibition REWIND is an urgently relevant multi-media installation that addresses the history of racial injustice in America. Works in the show include hand-sewn Ku Klux Klan robes made in colorful Kente cloth, images of lynchings, and slavery-era artifacts. The show opened at York College of Pennsylvania (Aug 31 – Oct 21, 2017) two weeks after the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which erupted in acts of violence that left three people dead. On September 5th, less than a week after REWIND opened, the college announced its decision to close the exhibition to the general public. … Continue readingNCAc – CENSORED ON CAMPUS: PAUL RUCKER’S EXHIBITION ON RACE IN AMERICA

According to Artnet news, “the show has been removed from the college website and there is an armed guard on duty in the galleries.” The article goes on to say that the exhibit has traveled to other cities, “including Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland” without any controversy. … Continue readingThe Stranger – York College Closes Paul Rucker’s Rewind Exhibition to the Public

It’s curious why an educational institution would mount an exhibition that can only be seen by those with valid IDs and their guests. It seems they do not believe that the general public is capable of seeing the work and understanding the context in which it is presented. I’m not sure what information they have that leads them to believe their student body has more ability in handling the work than the general public. One also wonders what steps they have taken to provide the proper context for the work, if needed. It just doesn’t seem to make sense. … Continue readingNon Profit Quarterly – A College Sparks a Dialogue about Fear of a Dialogue about Race

https://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/arts/bs-fe-rucker-exhibit-20171010-story.html

Pamela Gunter-Smith, the president of York, said in an interview Monday that she learned about the race-focused exhibit only a week before it was to open — shortly after the violence that accompanied the August march of white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va. She said that the decision to go ahead with the exhibit, but close it to the general public, was for her “as a woman of color, a damned if you do, damned if you don’t” decision. … Continue readingInside Higher Ed – Art About Racism: Closed to the Public