DALLAS – The Office of Arts & Culture, in partnership with Southroad Pictures and Limeville Entertainment, has produced a documentary honoring the legacy of the 1936 Hall of Negro Life.
“Rising: The Hall of Negro Life” will air on KERA at 7:30 pm on Friday, March 25, 2022.
The film was funded by Inspire Art Dallas, Fair Park First and a grant from the National Park Service.
“This is an important film because it documents a little-known story about the history of African Americans in Dallas.” Said Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney, President of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History.
Rising recalls the events that occurred during the Great Depression when determined Black Americans of Texas lobbied for the opportunity to tell their story at the 1936 Texas Centennial, a first in the fair’s history. Fraught with broken promises from state legislature, the ultimate story of character and courage altered the tenor and trajectory of U.S. race relations. The exhibition was finally approved with fewer than 100 days until the exhibition opening through the extraordinary efforts of A. Maceo Smith, who lobbied in support of federal funding to underwrite the exhibition.
“The Hall of Negro Life is one of the most important cultural moments and contributions in Dallas’ history, and yet, this story has been under-appreciated and neglected as part of our city’s history. This film beautifully captures this inspiring story and the legacy of The Hall of Negro Life,” said, Director, Office of Arts & Culture, Jennifer Scripps.
Visited by 400,000 Americans and visitors from across the globe, Aspirations, four site-specific murals by Aaron Douglas framed the Entrance Hall of Negro Life. Aaron Douglas was the most important Black artist of the early 20th century. The hall included the Hall of Music, Arts, and Literature curated by Dorothy Parker; The Hall of Medicine and Public Health; The Hall of Religion; and the Hall of Medicine. For five months the federally funded exhibition was operational on the grounds of Fair Park during the Texas Centennial Exhibition then it mysteriously closed with no explanation. Out of the embers of destruction, a civil rights movement was born.
“Being involved with the creation of this most important eye-opening documentary has been a joy, a great learning experience and a perfect vehicle for INSPIRE ART DALLAS,” said Gail Sachson, MFA.
Directed by King Hollis and Lindell Singleton, in spring of 2020, the Office of Arts and Culture (OAC) received a $50,000 grant from the National Park Service (NPS) to research and interpret the historic legacy of the 1936 Hall of Negro Life.
For more information on the research about the Hall listen to the Rising Podcasts available on https://www.Dallasculture.org -Public Art- Hall of Negro Life page.
