The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum will open its new installation next week titled “Cash Crop,” by artist Stephen Hayes, a professor at Duke University. The exhibit explores and depicts the harsh, cruel realities of the Atlantic slave trade in meticulously crafted wax forms.
“’Cash Crop’ features fifteen life-size sculptures, intricately cast in concrete and bound in chains and metal, vividly portraying the harrowing experiences of those who endured the Atlantic slave trade,” reads the press release announcing the exhibit. “Each sculpture represents the 15 million African individuals forcibly brought to the Americas between 1540 and 1850.”
The artist aims to connect historical human rights violations with their impact on today’s world. Hayes is Professor of the Practice of Art, Art History, and Visual Studies at Duke University. A 2020 winner of the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art, and 2023 recipient of the Black Rock Senegal Residency, he has created numerous public pieces of art that memorialize and honor the lives of ancestors lost to slavery in the American South.
The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum will hold an exclusive invitation-only opening reception and artist talk on Feb. 9. The “Cash Crop” exhibition will open to the public the next day Feb. 10.
During that opening weekend, museum co-founder Dr. Joanne Martin is offering two guided tours scheduled for Feb. 10 at 12 p.m. and Feb. 11 at 1 p.m. Visitors may participate in these tours for a fee of $30.
After opening weekend, the museum welcomes visitors every Thursday through Sunday, operating from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The “Cash Crop” exhibition will be on display until August 2024.
The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and has received $2 million in funding for Fiscal Year 2023, which will support the opening of a new East Baltimore facility. It was founded by Baltimore educators Drs. Elmer and Joanne Martin based on the philosophy that “community and cultural development go hand in hand.”
The Museum is located at 1601 E. North Ave. The “Cash Crop” exhibit is located on the first floor of the “Mansion” building, located at 1649 E. North Ave. (on the corner of Broadway and North Avenue).
Admission to the main museum and the “Cash Crop” exhibition is $18. The price of admission to the main museum and the exhibition, plus the guided tour with Dr. Joanne Martin on Feb. 10 or 11, is $30.
Children 17 and under are admitted for free.
For more information on the museum and ticket information, call 410-563-3404, email info@greatblacksinwax.org, or click this link.
