Shades of Greatness art inspired by
Negro Leagues Baseball
(TOPEKA) – Experience the traveling art exhibit from the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Shades of GreatnessFebruary 25 - May 7, 2023, in the Alice C. Sabatini Gallery. The critically-acclaimed exhibit features 35 original works of art produced by 28 diverse professional artists from across the country who interpret the Negro Leagues experience on-and-off the playing field. Renowned artist Kadir Nelson headlines the talented roster of artists who participated in Shades of Greatness.
"Willie Foster & Young Fans," Kadir Nelson, Oil on canvas
Kadir Nelson's paintings are in the permanent collections of several notable institutions including The National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Nelson is the recipient of multiple awards including the 2020 recipient of the Caldecott Medal and Coretta Scott King Award for illustration, New York Times Best Illustrated Book Awards, and several NAACP Image Awards.
For this exhibit the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum worked with artists to explore deeper stories and themes within the history of Negro League baseball.Shades of Greatness honors and celebrates African American history and sports.
This exhibit is made possible by The Library Foundation through contributions from The National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. The Alice C. Sabatini Gallery is located in the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. The library is also hosting several exhibit related events during the spring including the following:
Watch the library calendar for more spring events related to Shades of Greatness.
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About the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library The library’s mission is sparking curiosity and connecting our community through literacy and learning. Our core values are excellence, curiosity, literacy, freedom, teamwork and accountability. We help transform the lives of citizens through five Community Impact Goals: every child will be ready for kindergarten • everyone will discover their passion for learning • everyone will continue learning new ways to live their best life • Topeka and Shawnee County will be an engaged community of readers • the library will be a learning organization committed to excellence in: leadership, planning, customer focus, process management and partner focus.
