Rising Up

Hale Woodruff’s Murals at Talladega College

In 1938 Talladega College in Atlanta commissioned acclaimed artist Hale Woodruff to paint six monumental murals. Installed in the institution’s newly constructed Savery Library, Woodruff’s vibrant murals educated and inspired students through depictions of both heroic efforts to resist slavery (The Mutiny on the Amistad cycle) and noteworthy events in the institution’s history (The Founding of Talladega cycle).

Although he painted the murals for a local audience of students and faculty, Woodruff also intended for their impact to reach beyond Talladega’s campus. The murals swiftly attracted national attention, becoming adopted as a statement of racial pride and recognized as a significant artistic achievement. Today the murals remain symbols of the centuries-long struggle for civil rights.

Rising Up: Hale Woodruff’s Murals at Talladega College is organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, in collaboration with Talladega College, Talladega, Alabama.

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