Search results | Digital Grinnell

Title: Am I Not a Man and a Brother?
Description: In this block, the artist has chosen to highlight a commonly used symbol of the abolitionist movement; a slave kneeling with chained wrists held up, begging for his freedom. Created by members of the Clapham Sect of the Church of England in 1787, the image was so popularly consumed, historians have referred to it as a “pièce de resistance” of the campaign. However, the image is controversial to some because of the subordinate and sanitized representation it gives of slavery. Rather than portraying a reality of enslavement, torture, oppression, and resistance, the image appealed to the abolitionist ideals of morality, virtue, and truth. With this block, the artists urges their audience to grapple with the impact that historically sanitized images of slavery can cause, especially on younger generations. By portraying the slave as begging his oppressors for his freedom and humility, the image has replicated the very hierarchy it is trying to combat. Nonetheless, the image is contextualized with historical importance from the role it played in the abolitionist movement. By re-assessing images of abolition and rebellion, the artist urges people to contemplate popular controversies about the glorification of confederate monuments and the legacy of slavery in shaping American national identity.
Date Created: 2017
PID: grinnell:25494

Title: Big Data under Obama and Trump: The Data-Fueled U.S. Presidency, Data-Fueled U.S. Presidency
Description: The much-heralded use of data, analytics, and evidence-based decisions marks the U.S. presidencies of Obama and Trump.
Date Created: 2018
PID: grinnell:26654

Title: Cook correspondence - loose envelopes
Description: Two envelopes, unclear which letters with which they belong. One addressed to Collins Cook, one addressed to Sarah E. Cook.
PID: grinnell:12423

Title: Current Perspectives on Porgy and Bess
Description: A conversation between Randye Jones and George Shirley at the time of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess
Date Created: 2011
PID: grinnell:231

Title: Deed for land, signed by J. B. and J. A. Grinnell, January 1, 1859
Description: Deed for Land, signed by J. B. and J. A. Grinnell. WARRANTY DEED SIGNED 1 January 1859 RECORDED 5 January 1859. Land sold to Electa C. Cook.
Date Created: 1859
PID: grinnell:12311

Title: Electa C. Cook to Sarah E. Cook, January 1, 1859
Description: Electa writes to her sister-in-law Sarah about how much she misses Sarah and their family. She also writes about the clothing she owns, and what is owned by a woman she knows in town.
Date Created: 1859
PID: grinnell:12319

Title: Foundations
Description: When confronting the reality of plantation slavery in America, aspects of life which seemed normal in the early 1880’s are often difficult to conceptualize today. In this block, the artist calls attention to the tradition of child raising, in which slaves were given the task of nursing and raising their master’s progeny. It seems counter-intuitive that one could believe a slave so unworthy of human dignity, yet at the same time entrust them with the life of their child. In this block, a portrait of a slave with their master’s baby is framed by a pattern comprised of enlarged images of a human cell, encouraging a contemplation of the hypocrisies present in the theoretical foundations of slavery, including the supposed biological and intellectual inferiority of black people. Most often, slaves bore responsibilities foundational to the prosperity and functioning of their owners; they were worthy of motherhood but not the recognition of full humanity. By featuring a female-bodied slave in this block, the artist also pushes the viewer to contemplate the highly gendered nature of slave work and how it reveals inconsistencies in the theoretical foundations of racial superiority in America.
Date Created: 2017
PID: grinnell:25493

Title: Generations
Description: This block depicts two parallel scenes: the photograph on the right captures a class of school children, and the photo on the left shows a group of people at some celebration. The figures in the photo on the left are wearing formal attire even as some kneel in the grass in the foreground. Is this really a celebration? If so, what are they celebrating? Although it is difficult to ascertain who these people are and why their photographs were being taken, the two photographs call to mind the nonstop progression of generational change. The polka-dots, stars, and diamond-shaped flower petals appear to rotate around the two photographs in a circular motion, creating the sensation of a whirlpool in constant revolution. In what ways do generational shifts impact how we visualize freedom today?
Date Created: 2017
PID: grinnell:25484

Title: George W. Cook and Electa C. Cook to Sarah E. Cook, April 3, 1859
Description: Electa thanks Sarah for the dress pattern, and briefly discusses their family. George writes about the District Court, the weather, buying a farm in Massachusetts, and the injury of an acquaintance.
Date Created: 1859
PID: grinnell:12369

Title: George W. Cook and Electa C. Cook to Sarah E. Cook, February 8, 1858
Description: Electa writes of how she misses Sarah and remembers good times together. George writes of their dog, Caper, and mentions crops.
Date Created: 1858
PID: grinnell:11881