Dr. Leo Twiggs’ Requiem for Mother Emanuel featured on ESPN

In August, captains and coaches from the Carolina Panthers football team visited the Johnson Collection in Spartanburg to view the exhibition of Leo Twiggs’ Requiem for Mother Emanuel series. The visit served as a springboard for ongoing conversations about race and reconciliation — not only in the Panthers’ locker room, but in communities across the region. In the wake of recent racial unrest in the Panthers’ hometown of Charlotte, the dialogue took on even deeper meaning and relevance. As a follow-up to their coverage of the summer story, ESPN crews traveled to Charlotte and Spartanburg to interview the Panthers and Dr. Twiggs. In describing the complex emotions reflected in the nine Requiem paintings, Dr. Twiggs, a lifelong educator, reminds us all that “works of art are repositories of human experiences.”

View the ESPN video, which aired Oct. 10:

On view at TJC Gallery in downtown Spartanburg through October 28, Requiem for Mother Emanuel takes viewers on an emotional and aesthetic journey from the horror of the church shootings through the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina State House grounds to the forgiveness extended by members of the Mother Emanuel congregation.

The exhibition will be the foundation of an educational symposium October 11th in Spartanburg. Sponsored by the Johnson Collection. “Requiem for Mother Emanuel: An Exploration of Paint, Poetry, Race & Grace” will examine and expand upon the themes—human, artistic, cultural, and universal—presented in the series. Keynote speakers include Dr. Twiggs, South Carolina poet Nikky Finney, and Jane Panetta, associate curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art. The symposium will take place at 7 p.m., October 11 at Chapman Cultural Center; the event is free and open to the public.

Via: The Johnson Collection