WHEREAS,
Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Jacob Lawrence spent part of his childhood in Philadelphia before moving to Harlem 1930; and
WHEREAS,
Fascinated by the impact of major historical events on the lives of ordinary people he, starting in 1936, frequently researched and then designed multi-panel narratives based on key events in American culture and the African American experience; and
WHEREAS
, In 1982, Sidney Shiff, owner of the Limited Editions Club, New York commissioned Jacob Lawrence to make illustrations to the book
Hiroshima
; and
WHEREAS,
Hiroshima
was written in 1946, by John Hershey, depicting six survivors of the first atomic bomb attack; and
WHEREAS,
Lawrence created eight paintings that are inspired by author John Hershey, transcending his text to rank among the most powerful visual statements; and
WHEREAS,
This exhibition will place the
Hiroshima
series in the context of Lawrence’s career as an empathetic chronicler of history and his own time; and
WHEREAS,
Rather than illustrate the text he selected, Lawrence drew on his own experience in urban communities to imagine the bomb’s “noiseless flash” as it destroyed lives and irrevocably changed our culture; and
WHEREAS,
A part of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts permanent collection, the series represents Lawrence’s devastating evocation of the physical and emotional impact of the Hiroshima bombing; and
WHEREAS,
Lawrence was honored with a medal from the Pennsylvania Academy in 1997. He lived, worked and taught in Seattle for nearly three decades passing away there in 2000; and
WHEREAS,
As of June 26, 2008 the permanent collection will be on display at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts; America’s oldest continually operating school of fine arts museum; now therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA
, That we hereby honor the Jacob Lawrence’s series
Hiroshima
and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts as it continues to grow and provide the rare combination of a world-class museum and an extraordinary faculty known for its commitment to students and for the stature and quality of its artistic work.
FURTHER RESOLVED
, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to representatives from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts for honoring the work, efforts, and legacy of Jacob Lawrence as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.
End