an Ode to Men of Change : A FawrOut piece
In honor of black history month, FawrOut would like to celebrate all the important black men in Charlotte and beyond by calling attention to the Men of Change exhibit at both the Harvey Gantt Center and the Levine Museum of the New south.
Men of Change is dynamic exhibition currently on view at the Harvey Gantt Center for African American Arts and the Levine Museum of the New South that profiles revolutionary and radical men whose work has altered the history and culture of this country. The men referenced are many and the mediums in which they’ve enacted change are even more FawrOut.
Men of Change is one of the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibits and has been to many cities across the country, yet Charlotte is the only city that boast two exhibits at two different museums. Organized into different categories such as Fathering, Community, and Imagining, It is situated with three categories at the Gantt and three at the Levine. Charlotte is just that lit to deserve two spaces to showcase such a tremendous body of works.
As many of the change makers in the exhibit were, the Smithsonian, Gantt and Levine were intentional with every aspect of the exhibit ranging from the placement, the choice of buildings, to even the installation of each piece and space. Many of the men at the Gantt Center — which is a much more well-known exhibit — are much more well known and canonized themselves. For instance, Romare Bearden— the charlotte titan of collage works — has a huge mural greeting the visitor right when they enter the exhibit . Among others at the Gantt are Stokely Carmichael, Kehinde Wiley, and W.E.B. DuBois, Men whose contributions to black life and American history are unquestionable. so much so, that they are elevated in Black history and Black studies. The magnitude of their importance is felt as you either have to take the elevator up to the third floor, or you climb the steps to reach them, symbolizing the greatness and the heights that these men too have climbed and achieved.
After you are finished with the exhibit at the Gantt Center they suggest you walk down the street a few blocks to the Levine Museum of the New South. The short walk and placement of the second half seemed intentional as well. The Levine, at one point, fell victim to the rising rent prices and gentrification that Charlotte is experiencing and was forced to close their doors. Luckily they were able to move into this new location in a different area of downtown. To my knowledge this is their inaugural exhibit at their new location, symbolic of the movement and survival of black people in the face of towering odds.
This is important because this portion of the exhibit is much more modern and holds the Community and Myth-breakers category. What stands out most about this exhibit is it’s feeling of intimacy and closeness. While the Gantt is spacious and mountainous, the Levine is only one level and horizontally structured. No towering stairs to look down from, no elevator to raise you to higher heights. It almost gives a grassroots feel, as many of the community organizations started by black folks were. The structure of the exhibit forces you to stand shoulder to shoulder with other the viewers. You feel more comfortable to talk to the person next to you, and it becomes easier to think and reflect on the pieces as well. It tells the story of how close you, the viewer, are to being a catalyst for change and how necessary it is work with one another. To literally be in community.
What sets men of change apart from other romantic and and glorifying “black history month” specials is it’s on emphasis culture being a dialogue. With that understanding these exhibits are not simply celebrations of the men. Instead many of their pictures and portraits are juxtaposed with art created to honor them. Truly, this exchange is what makes Men of Change so FawrOut. We’re asked to learn about the men of change but were also asked to think deeper and more consciously about their legacy. Consider, interrogate and question what they stood for and what struggles they were fighting against, not so it can only be celebrated in a history book, but more to ignite the fires in us to continue these fights.
Simply being a first is not what makes one FarOwt, although to have the confidence to overcome almost impossible odds is important. No, what makes many of these men Far Out is their commitment to their oneness. Commitment to themselves and their unshakeable identities that led them to chart their own path and find their own way, and what’s more FawrOut than that?
Stay tuned as FawrOut continues to bring you random charlotte facts and info about the men in men of change.
this essay was written in partnership with FawrOut. A brand for the talented, unique and misunderstood based in Charlotte, NC. Check out their podcast, 60 seconds on instagram as well as their events. Find their merch and more here at https://fawrout.myshopify.com/.
