Noyes Museum of Art
January 18 - April 27, 2003

A photographic and multimedia exhibition by photographer Wendel A. White, Small Towns, Black Lives presents the artist's exploration of several historically black communities in southern New Jersey.

Inspired by traditional photographic documentary, White moves beyond the historical medium, using modern digital technology to create a new form of "image and text." The exhibition features approximately seventy images of portraits, businesses, historic landmarks, landscapes, interiors and exteriors of architecture, and several panoramic views of communities such as Whitesboro and Lawnside.

White’s interest in these communities originated over thirteen years ago when a colleague told him about Whitesboro, a village located in Cape May County’s Middle Township. Developed around the turn of the 20th century, Whitesboro was envisioned as a self-sufficient community and haven for emancipated Southern slaves and their families. The town derives its name from George White, a U.S. Congressman from North Carolina’s Second District, who, along with Booker T. Washington and other leading African Americans of the post-Reconstruction era, helped promote the new endeavor. Since Wendel White’s (no relation to George White) first visit to the town, he has continued an artistic journey that has brought him to other towns and neighborhoods with related histories. Together, the images reflect themes of community and individual expression, explore history of the African American experience in New Jersey and nationally, and point to a sense of pride of place and of accomplishment.

White's images help to rediscover some communities lost to time and forgotten elements of "community" that, while unique, transcend race, social status, and geography. Accompanying the exhibition are a web site that, in addition to photographs, includes rare audio and video footage documenting important residents and events, and an array of programs.

Following its presentation at the Noyes Museum, the Small Towns, Black Lives exhibition will go on tour, beginning at the Johnson and Johnson World Headquarters, New Brunswick, NJ, from May 15 to July 15, 2003.