LDF Marks Brown 50th Anniversary with New Artwork

New York— The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) will unveil a limited edition lithograph created by the renowned African-American artist Benny Andrews at a reception on Wednesday, December 1 at the ACA Galleries. The lithograph, Education Quest, was commissioned to mark the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the US Supreme Court decision that ended legally-sanctioned segregation in public schools.

“We are honored that Benny Andrews has created this lithograph for us,” said Theodore M. Shaw, LDF director-counsel and president. “Benny represents a special group of distinguished African-American artists whose work speaks to the aspirations and the struggles of the African-American community.”

Education Quest is the fourth art piece commissioned by LDF. Other highly acclaimed African American artists have marked the organization’s milestones, including Romare Bearden (The Lamp, 1984, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Brown); Jacob Lawrence (To The Defense, 1990, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of LDF); and Elizabeth Catlett (The Door of Justice, 2000, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of LDF).

“This work challenged me to make it clear that though the wall facing African Americans seeking equal education has been broken through, there are still remnants of the wall remaining today,” said Andrews.

Education Quest is a 21-½” x 29- ¾” limited edition print signed and numbered by the artist. The Philadelphia-based Brandywine Workshop printed the lithograph, which is also available as a poster.

For photographs and additional information for publication about the artist and gallery, contact: Joy Willingham, 202-833-9771, joy@mckpr.com.

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About BENNY ANDREWS

Benny Andrews is a painter, writer, printmaker, sculptor, book illustrator and teacher. His art, like his background, is complex and multi-faceted. Exhibited nationally and internationally for over 40 years, Andrews’ work can be found in the permanent collections of numerous museums, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art and The Brooklyn Museum in New York; The Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C.; The Art Institute of Chicago; The Detroit Institute; and The Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego.

About BRANDYWINE WORKSHOP

The Brandywine Workshop is a culturally diverse institution founded in 1972 in Philadelphia as a non-profit visual arts organization that seeks to enhance the role of people of color as both visual artists and audiences.

About ACA GALLERIES

ACA Galleries, established in 1932, specializes in 19th and 20th century American Art, Modern and Contemporary paintings, drawings and sculpture including American Impressionism, Stieglitz Circle, Ashcan School, 14th Street School, Regionalism, WPA, American Abstraction, Social Realism and Abstract Expressionism.

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