The Schomburg Center celebrates Black History Month with two special exhibits

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, a research unit of the New York Public Library, will celebrate Black History Month with two new exhibitions that together will be called “365 Days: 390 years in the making.” One features photographs of President Barack Obama’s first year in the White House, and the other showcases watercolor paintings by artist Jerry Pinkney that depict people and events in African American history.

“Barack Obama: The First Year” features 77 photographs by Pete Souza, the official White House photographer, plus commentary by Souza, and showcases images ranging from the inaugural ball last January to the President playing outside with his daughters.

Pinkney’s exhibition, “African-American Journey to Freedom,” brings together 35 watercolors by the award-winning artist and children’s book illustrator showcasing people and events in African American history, from colonial times to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Some highlights include a depiction of the Great Migration of blacks from the South to the North and famous figures such as Sojourner Truth.

The two exhibitions will be on display February 5 through April 18, 2010, at the Schomburg Center in New York. The center is a national research library devoted to collecting, preserving and providing access to resources documenting the experiences of peoples of African descent throughout the world.