May 18, 2022

Donald E. Camp exhibits “Emmett Till / America 1955” artwork on the passing of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act of 2022

““Black men, Black people have been misrepresented in the media for a few centuries. I want to make work that portrays People, Black men, Black People, as noble creations of God.””

— Donald E. Camp

Donald E. Camp’s work addressing racism in American history and culture continues to be salient as his work Emmett Till / America 1955 (created in 1990 and now on exhibit at the Delaware Art Museum) references the historically significant photograph of Emmett Till. Camp's Emmett Till / America 1955 piece was recently acquired by the Delaware Art Museum and is currently on view through May 23, 2022. The timing of this acquisition coincides with the passing of the long-awaited Emmett Till Antilynching Act of 2022. Emmet Till's brutal experience and its portrayal were formative elements in the civil rights movement as well as in Camp's life and poignantly inform his work.

The Emmett Till Antilynching Act is the United States law that makes lynching a federal hate crime. The bill was named after 14-year-old Emmett Till, who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955, sparking national and international outrage. A federal antilynching bill had been in discussion for over a century and had been proposed numerous times before finally being signed into law on March 29, 2022.

Donald Camp's signature body of work, Dust Shaped Hearts, focuses on the representation of African American men and has grown to include women as well as people of a variety of backgrounds to acknowledge Camp's belief that the struggle against ignorance and intolerance is a universal one. Camp's artwork also currently exists in conversation with artists discussing race relations and the complexity of inclusive histories such as Kerry James Marshall, Kara Walker, and Nick Cave. Dust Shaped Hearts continues as Camp lends his voice to the artistic dialogue on racism and human rights today.

““We are thrilled to have Donald E. Camp’s important career represented in the Delaware Art Museum’s collection, says Margaret Winslow, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Delaware Art Museum. “As Professor Emeritus at Ursinus College and founding member of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, his contributions to art, photography specifically, are significant. Camp’s portraits, created through unique photographic processes, capture the individual dignity of his subjects. His images celebrate those African American men and women who have made invaluable contributions to our society.””

— Margaret Winslow, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Delaware Art Museum

Another recent acquisition, Camp’s portrait of the civil rights activist and Congressman John Lewis was recently on view at the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, PA. Camp's print of civil rights activist Congressman John Lewis, Good Trouble was featured in the exhibition The Work of Art: Museum Collecting Unpacked. The exhibition shared the stories of approximately 25 carefully selected objects from the Michener's permanent and archival collections to explore the life cycle of a work of art, from its creation to museum acquisition.

In addition to these museum acquisitions and exhibitions, Camp gave a Virtual Lecture entitled “Emmett Till America and Me”, presented by the Main Line Baha’i’ Communities as part of their Uncomfortable Conversations series addressing racism. Camp was fifteen years old when he saw the photograph of Emmett Till. It was in the "Jet" magazine that he sold while working in his father's barbershop in Western Pennsylvania. In his lecture, he shares the story of how the lynching of the young Emmett Till affected him and the world and resulted in his signature artwork, Dust Shaped Hearts.

About the recent acquisitions, Camp says, “I'm very content that my work, especially Emmett Till - America 1955, will be preserved by museums and become part of the historic conversation about who we are as human beings.”

© Donald E. Camp, *Young Man #2 – Million Man March,* 1996, Casein and raw earth pigment on archival rag paper, Photographic Casein Monoprints, 41 x 29 inches. For all sales inquiries or commissions contact Amie Potsic Art Advisory.

© Donald E. Camp, *Congressman John Lewis,* 2015, Casein and raw earth pigment on archival rag paper, Photographic Casein Monoprint, 30 x 40 inches. Collection of the Michener Art Museum.

© Donald E. Camp, *Young Man #3 – Million Man March,*1996, Casein and raw earth pigment on archival rag paper, Photographic Casein Monoprints, 41 x 29 inches. For all sales inquiries or commissions contact Amie Potsic Art Advisory.

Donald E. Camp is a resident of Philadelphia and professor emeritus at Ursinus College. He moved to Philadelphia in 1972 where he was a Staff photographer for The Evening and Sunday Bulletin and cofounded the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. Camp is a recipient of fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Pew Foundation for the Arts. He is noted for his continuing body of work, "Dust Shaped Hearts" a body of mono-prints using light sensitizes casein and dry earth pigments. He is a subject in the American Artist Oral History of the Smithsonian Institute and The History Makers. Camp has lectured and exhibited internationally including at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia and the National Museum of The Gambia. His work is in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Delaware Art Museum, The Michener Art Museum, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art.