Fighters for Freedom” Across the Smithsonian: Marian Anderson’s Fur Coat

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      Samir Meghelli, senior curator at the Anacostia Community Museum, answers the question, “What can this fur coat tell us about Marian Anderson?” An internationally acclaimed singer, Marian Anderson used luxury wear as a symbol of African American possibility and progress. Meghelli discusses the fur coat Anderson wore while performing at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961 and how she used her stature to break down color barriers in the field of the arts.

      Artist William H. Johnson portrayed Marian Anderson in at least three paintings in his Fighters for Freedom series in the mid-1940s. The series celebrates African American activists, scientists, teachers, performers, as well as international leaders working to bring peace to the world. This video accompanies SAAM’s exhibition Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice.

      William H. Johnson, Marian Anderson: americanart.si.edu/artwork/marian-anderson-11530
      Marian Anderson’s Fur Coat: anacostia.si.edu/collection/object/acm_1992.0034.0001

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