Join us for a screening of Walls of Respect: Norman Parish and the Parish Art Gallery, followed by a discussion with Norman Parish III, a son of the artist, and artist Richmond Jones, whose work was shown in Parish Gallery and who appears in the documentary. 

An African American artist and art dealer, Norman Parish (1937–2013) founded Parish Gallery in Washington, DC, which focused on African American artists when other galleries were less interested in showing their works. Parish was also one of the artists who helped create The Wall of Respect, a former South Side mural credited with sparking other murals globally. The work is highlighted in our current exhibition Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s–70s.  

Walls of Respect considers structural limitations on African Americans and their trajectories as artists and simultaneously provides a narrative focused on moments of advancement. The documentary film incorporates interviews with many of the artists who exhibited at Parish Gallery, along with professionals from the Smithsonian archive and the Art Institute of Chicago, to address the significance its founder had on artists' careers and the DC culture. 

$15, $10 members