Subversion & The Art of Slavery Abolition (NYPL)

“Subversion & The Art of Slavery Abolition,” curated by Dr. Michelle Commander at the Schomburg Center of NYPL, showcases how abolitionists in the 18th and 19th centuries harnessed literature, visual arts, music, and even covert resistance to expose slavery’s horrors and galvanize the public against it. Through pamphlets, slave narratives, paintings, poetry, and narratives like that of Henry “Box” Brown, the exhibition reveals art’s profound role in fueling abolitionist movements — Website