Collections Connections: Pan-Africanism in the Stony Island Arts Bank Archives with Dr. Sampada Aranke

On February 19, 1919, The Pan-African Congress convened 57 representatives from fifteen nations and European colonial outposts, including the United States, in Paris, France. As reported by W.E.B. Du Bois, who was also a main organizer for the event, delegates expressed the desire for racial unity. This spirit of intercontinental solidarity and Pan-Africanism undoubtedly shaped social movements in the long 20th and 21st centuries. To mark the anniversary of this profound gathering, join us on Sunday, February 19th as we discuss objects from our collections that speak to Pan-Africanism, Black liberation, and movements for racial justice.

About Collections Connections

Scholars are invited to engage their research projects in relation to our collections. These contributions build connections to our archives, and offer opportunities for engagement and discussion.

About Dr. Sampada Aranke

Dr. Sampada Aranke serves as Rebuild Foundation's Director of Mellon Archive ProgramsRebuild Foundation, in which she and founder Theaster Gates co-lead the Mellon Archives Innovation Program—a multifaceted initiative supporting the creation of new research, scholarship, and artistic production through engagement with Rebuild Foundation’s archival collections held at the Stony Island Arts Bank.

Sampada Aranke (PhD, Performance Studies) is an Assistant Professor in the Art History, Theory, Criticism Department at the School of the Art Institute, Chicago. Her research interests include performance theories of embodiment, visual culture, and black cultural and aesthetic theory. Her work has been published in e-flux, Artforum, Art Journal, ASAP/J, and October. She has written catalogue essays for Sadie Barnette, Betye Saar, Rashid Johnson, Faith Ringgold, Kambui Olujimi, Sable Elyse Smith, and Zachary Fabri. She is the recipient of the 2021 Art Journal award for her article "Blackouts and Other Visual Escapes." Her book, Death's Futurity: The Visual Life of Black Power, will be published by Duke University Press in February 2023.

The Johnson Publishing Company Library, housed at the Arts Bank, is a collection of books and periodicals donated by the Johnson Publishing Company, publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines. The collection includes publications from the 1940's to the present day, and also includes the company's in-house library once used by Johnson Publishing Company editors and writers.