Come celebrate Juneteenth with the Sigal Museum!
Juneteenth (short for June 19th) commemorates the emancipation of the last enslaved people in the United States. On June 19, 1865 – two years after the Emancipation Proclamation – Major General Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas and read out General Order No. 3. The order read, in part, “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves.”
Juneteenth celebrations, both historically and in the present, generally involve cookouts, public celebrations, and artistic expressions. Now a federal holiday, Juneteenth both honors the trials and tribulations experienced by enslaved persons as well as celebrates the resilience, empowerment, and hope of Black and African Americans in the United States today.
Visit the Sigal Museum on June 19th to enjoy free admission to our permanent exhibits as well as our temporary exhibition, Another American’s Autobiography: Selections from the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art. The selected works explore American patriotism and identity as it relates to the Black American experience., and addresses the challenges of Black patriotism and the circumstances that complicate the relationship between Black Americans and this country. It asks: What does it mean to be patriotic? Who comes to mind when we think of an American Patriot? Can we redefine and reimagine our symbols of patriotism or our expressions of allegiance?
Another American’s Autobiography will be on display until July 10, 2022.