Pieces of Freedom: The Emancipation Sculptures of Edmonia Lewis and Meta Warrick Fuller

The history of racism in America is the history of ordinary Black Americans who accomplished extraordinary things in their pursuit of freedom. Pieces of Freedom: The Emancipation Sculptures of Edmonia Lewis and Meta Warwick Fuller analyzes the first fifty years of Black freedom through the emancipation sculptures of two nineteenth-century African American sculptors, Mary Edmonia Lewis (1844–1909) and Meta Warrick Fuller (1877–1968). It presents a textured historical diorama of Black life during an era of transformative, yet sorrowful, events. Lee Ann Timreck integrates Lewis's and Fullers visual narrative with oral narratives of the newly emancipated, all set within the historical context of Reconstruction, segregation, and Jim Crow. The sculptures also reflect the artists' gendered perspective of emancipation, conveying a strong narrative on the contributions and sacrifices made by newly freed Black women.

Format: Hardback
Length: 277 pages
Publication date: 15 August 2023
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi

The history of racism in America is a tapestry woven with the stories of ordinary Black Americans who achieved extraordinary feats in their quest for freedom. Throughout their journey, they faced relentless oppression, yet they forged resilient communities and led purposeful lives.
Pieces of Freedom: The Emancipation Sculptures of Edmonia Lewis and Meta Warwick Fuller takes us on a captivating journey through the first fifty years of Black freedom, shedding light on the artistic expressions of two nineteenth-century African American sculptors, Mary Edmonia Lewis (1844–1909) and Meta Warrick Fuller (1877–1968). Lewis's and Fuller's sculptures, with their powerful visual narrative depicting the strength and humanity of the Black people in the face of oppression, serve as a textured historical diorama of Black life during a transformative yet sorrowful era. In this book, Lee Ann Timreck skillfully weaves together Lewis's and Fuller's visual narrative with oral narratives of the newly emancipated individuals, all set within the historical context of Reconstruction, segregation, and Jim Crow. The sculptures also reflect the artists' gendered perspectives on emancipation, conveying a profound narrative on the contributions and sacrifices made by newly freed Black women. These emancipation sculptures serve as both a historical account of the Black emancipation experience and a moral indictment of America's failure to create a nation where all men are truly created equal.
Pieces of Freedom poses a challenging invitation to the twenty-first-century reader: to embrace and learn from this history, in the hope of addressing the lingering social and economic injustices that persist in our nation. By acknowledging and confronting our past, we can work towards building a more equitable and inclusive future for all.

Dimension: 216 x 140 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496845870