For Immediate Release
Date: March 16, 2016
The City of Savannah in partnership with the King-Tisdell Cottage Foundation cordially invite the public to attend an exhibit opening and reception for “Through Law’s Eyes: Select Works from the W. W. Law Art Collection” on Thursday, March 31, 2016, from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., at the Beach Institute, 502 East Harris Street. Opening remarks will be at 5:30 p.m.
Westley Wallace “W. W.” Law (1923-2002) was a prominent Civil Rights leader, local historian, historic preservationist and community leader in Savannah, Georgia. After a forty-year career as a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service and twenty-six years as President of the Savannah Chapter of the NAACP, Law turned his focus and efforts to preserving Savannah’s art, culture and history. He established the Savannah-Yamacraw Branch of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History (ASALH), the King-Tisdell Cottage Museum, Beach Institute African American Cultural Center, the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, and the Negro Heritage Trail Tour.
Through the King-Tisdell Cottage and the Beach Institute, W. W. Law featured the work of emerging African American artists, as well as works featuring local Savannah scenes. His personal collection of original artwork and prints (including those featured in this exhibit) reflects these efforts, as well as the personal friendships that came about from them.
In 2014, the City of Savannah accepted the W. W. Law Collection from the W. W. Law Foundation. The collection represents the life work of W. W. Law and includes photographs, papers, books, art, music, and artifacts. Curation of the collection is a multi-year project under the Research Library & Municipal Archives department. Several portions of the collection are now open and available to the public for research, including photographs, music, awards and some personal papers. For more information about the collection and how to access it, please visit www.savannahga.gov/MunicipalArchives and www.savannahga.gov/Collections. In addition, the artwork of Chicago artist William S. Carter, also from the W. W. Law Art Collection, is currently on display in City Hall through June 2016.
“Through Law’s Eyes” will be on display at the Beach Institute through January 2017. For more information contact Luciana Spracher, Library & Archives Director, at (912) 651-6411 or Lspracher@savannahga.gov.