If Emmett Till Lived: Freedom on American Ground

About the exhibition

Guest curated by Sarah Lewis, an acclaimed art and cultural historian, academic, and founder of Vision & Justice, If Emmett Till Lived: Freedom on American Ground constructs a fictionalized poetic narrative imagining the life Emmett Till might have lived had he returned home in 1955, rather than being killed at the age of fourteen while visiting family in Mississippi, a victim of the racial terror of Jim Crow rule. As an extension of Vision & Justice, this exhibition presents selections Lewis will draw from MoCP’s permanent collection to reframe Till’s legacy through photographs. Collectively, the images will span photographic genres including social documentary, portraiture, landscape, and architecture based on subject matter, time period, and geographic relevance, including his birthplace in Chicago, the site of his death in Mississippi, and imagined spaces representing a life unrealized. The exhibition will shift focus from the violence of Till’s death to the sacredness of personal and cultural experiences, such as a birthday party, riding bicycles, or family gatherings—seemingly mundane moments that convey the depth of what was lost.

About the curator

Sarah Lewis is widely regarded as one of the most prolific voices on photography and visual literacy today. She is the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University, with a secondary appointment in African and African American Studies. Her scholarly work examines Black visual culture and the role of art in justice. Her scholarship has received awards and recognition including the Walter Channing Cabot Fellowship, an honorary degree from Pratt Institute, the Infinity Award, the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship, a Cullman Fellowship, the Freedom Scholar Award (ASALH), the Arthur Danto/ASA Prize from the American Philosophical Association, and the Photography Network Book Prize.  She is the author of the award-winning books The Unseen Truth: When Race Changed Sight in America and The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery, as well as an anthology on the work of Carrie Mae Weems, and the “Vision & Justice” special issue of Aperture magazine.

About Vision & Justice

Vision & Justice is a catalytic civic initiative that generates original research, curricula, and programs that reveal the foundational role of visual culture in America’s representational democracy. Founded and spearheaded by art and cultural historian Sarah Lewis, the initiative builds awareness of the impact of images in the public realm and their capacity to shape the interwoven fabric of individual identity, community collaboration, and democratic participation. Through institutional collaborations, leadership convenings, publications, and public programs, Vision & Justice serves as an organizer, partner, and resource for today’s leaders—and those to come—in fostering representational excellence.

Support for this exhibition

MoCP is supported by Columbia College Chicago, MoCP Advisory Board, Museum Council, individuals, private and corporate foundations, and government grants.

This exhibition and publication are partially supported with funding from the Wyeth Foundation for American Art.

MoCP acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council and is the recipient of a CityArts grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Generous support is provided by the David C. and Sarajean Ruttenberg Impact Fund for Photography, a museum endowment.