TEXARKANA, Texas - A new pop up exhibit hosted by the Regional Arts Center responds to recent events with a creative sense of urgency.
Organized by the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council and its African American Committee, "We Cannot Just be Quiet" gives voice to the experience of peaceful protest marches in Texarkana that sprang up in response to the killing of George Floyd, most recently, but also Trayvon Martin several years ago.
The exhibit is composed of several sections, including a slide show, art and artifacts inspired by local marches and an area for reflection. A brief Saturday reception will be held from 1 p.m. to 1:20 p.m. with social distancing. Masks are requested for anyone who attends.
TRAHC invited local residents to submit material for the exhibit about a week ago, and from there Kay Thomas, TRAHC's national teaching artist and arts integration consultant, serves as curator. For TRAHC, it's a first time for a pop up exhibit.
"Something that is quick and a way to capture something that is quick and going on at that moment," said TAAC's Treva West. It speaks to what is going on in the community, nationally and globally.
"This exhibit is going to really show or demonstrate the leaders of the two movements, the one for Trayvon Martin that was in 2012, and then also the ones that are going on currently with George Floyd. It's going to be kind of a bridge between the two," West said, noting the exhibit will show what has been done and still needs to be done for race relations in the community.
Reflection questions will ask viewers about what they saw and how they feel Texarkana can do things better in regards to race relations. It's interactive. The focus is positive with the art of peaceful protest, West said.
"We're also showing that there is a peaceful way to do that and have a good outcome," she said.
She wants people to open their minds to see and learn what other people are feeling. "This is an opportunity for everyone to see what people are thinking," she said, noting recent protests showed more diversity.
Charles Fortenberry, TRAHC's board president and a local doctor, says the exhibit arose almost spontaneously in response to events. He believes it's tough to see a man hurt right in front of us and not react. How can we not react, he said.
"It's kind of hard to ignore the current circumstances in the world," Fortenberry said, noting the exhibit title reflects the necessity and right for citizens to make their voices heard.
The materials used in prior protests and rallies will be included in the exhibit. He hopes each visitor will take a slow walk through and reflect on the incidents that triggered this pop up show, but to also consider how their voice can be amplified and be heard by the people who make decisions.
"Let's just put it on display and really, really take a stroll through these emotions and really, really have a look at how a peaceful protest is done in the United States," Fortenberry said, adding, "I think that each person will come away with some kind of feeling about what their next steps should be, where we go from here, basically."
The exhibit is both a look back and hopefully a call to action or, at least, reflection, he believes.
Thomas said it's a journey. "When I curate, I like to create a narrative," she said. "This was a very challenging show because of the diversity, visually and the types of materials." She's grouped them thematically and stylistically, working with photographs, collages, posters and more.
Entering the first gallery, the exhibit presents an audio-visual slide-show about peaceful protests. This even includes documentation from other places. "It's really powerful. We'll have it on a continuous loop where it's on," Thomas said.
One wall will include items from the local chapter of the NAACP, plus images of Trayvon. Poster-size collages portray the history of peaceful protests. Thomas says the effect is intense.
"Then we get into Mr. Floyd and responses to him in various mediums. Photographs, then we have some drawings. It moves on down and then we have some people that have created paintings about him. They're like protest paintings," Thomas said.
Posters, print-outs, notes, clothing and more all add to the exhibit. The reflection room will have more art, plus a space for visitors to leave their thoughts.
"It's brought people in here. It's very timely, and it's just a very democratic response," Thomas said about the exhibit.
Several recent peaceful protests arose in Texarkana related to Floyd, who died while in police custody in Minneapolis, but also regarding the death of Breonna Taylor, who was killed by Louisville Metro Police Department officers, and Texarkana's Confederate Mothers Monument. Racial justice matters and the fight for equality have recently gained visibility and traction here and internationally.
Peaceful rallies and protests were also held in Atlanta, Texas, and De Queen, Arkansas.
"We Cannot Just Be Quiet" will be displayed through July 18.
They've only had a brief time to put this exhibit together. "It's informal, it's fun it's very organic," West said about the exhibit, adding, "It is unique but I think it's also very necessary."
(The Regional Arts Center is open from noon to 4 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays at 321 W. 4th St. More info: TRAHC.org or 903-792-8681.)