Talladega College is pleased to announce a historic partnership that will support the success of the institution for generations to come and create opportunities for audiences around the world to engage with extraordinary works of art by the American artist Hale A. Woodruff. Four of the six monumental paintings by Woodruff commissioned by Talladega College in the late 1930s have been acquired by esteemed American arts institutions who are committed to bringing visibility to the murals and celebrating their connection to Alabama’s first private Historically Black College.
Toledo Museum of Art has acquired The Underground Railroad; Art Bridges Foundation and Terra Foundation for American Art have jointly acquired three paintings that depict the Amistad uprising and its aftermath; and two paintings capturing the founding of Talladega and the building of the school’s Savery Library will continue to be owned by the College and remain on campus. This unprecedented coalition has formed a strategic partnership that will jointly steward the paintings and maintain their connection to Talladega, including reuniting all six murals at the College on an agreed upon schedule.
Rica Lewis-Payton, Chair of Talladega’s Board of Trustees, said, “Today, we begin an exciting new chapter uplifted by the support of distinguished partners who join us in our vision to celebrate Talladega College and six remarkable paintings by Hale A. Woodruff. From the beginning, our goals were lofty – to ensure a vibrant future for Talladega by creating a meaningful financial opportunity that better prepares our students for an evolving world; expand the profile of Alabama’s first private Historically Black College; and increase the visibility of Hale A. Woodruff’s extraordinary paintings. We were fortunate that the Toledo Museum of Art, Art Bridges Foundation, and Terra Foundation for American Art believed in our aspirations and supported our efforts to create something unprecedented. Their inspiring missions directly support our ambitions – to champion and provide access to these incredible works of art, and to share American stories. The groundbreaking partnership that our four institutions have formed embodies the spirit behind the founding of Talladega and the historic subjects depicted in Woodruff’s paintings – individuals and institutions coming together to achieve shared objectives and dreams.”
Adam M Levine, Edward Drummond and Florence Scott Libbey, Director and CEO of the Toledo Museum of Art, commented, “We are honored to bring Hale Woodruff’s The Underground Railroad (1942) into our collection. It is a work that is especially resonant for Toledo, a city that served as a final stop on the Underground Railroad for enslaved people escaping to freedom in Canada via the Great Lakes. We take seriously our responsibility as a partner to Talladega College and its broader community to steward both Hale Woodruff’s murals, as well as the artist’s legacy. In Toledo, we pride ourselves on meaningful and authentic community engagement, and our approach here will be no different. We are committed to listening, learning, and collaborating through intentional outreach with Talladega and its stakeholders.”
“The Amistad Series is iconic in the field of American art history. They represent both a powerful story of resistance and freedom and capture Hale A. Woodruff’s singular style and ability as an impactful storyteller,” said Turry Flucker, Vice President of Collections and Partnerships at the Terra Foundation for American Art. “At the Terra Foundation, we are gratified to have the opportunity to bring greater visibility to these magnificent murals and to broaden awareness of Woodruff’s vision and voice through a tour of The Amistad Series in the U.S. and abroad.”
“We are honored to partner with Talladega College and the Terra Foundation for American Art to preserve and share these historically significant works,” said Anne Kraybill, CEO of Art Bridges. “Art Bridges believes everyone deserves access to art, and this joint acquisition allows us to do just that. Through our growing partner network of over 320 museums, we will share The Amistad Series with audiences nationwide that might not otherwise have access to them, ensuring these works stay in the public trust while expanding the legacy of Hale A. Woodruff and Talladega College.”
The story of Talladega College reaches back to 1865 when two formerly enslaved men - William Savery and Thomas Tarrant - met with a group of newly freed men and pledged to establish a school for the children of former enslaved members of the community. With the support of the American Missionary Association, The Swayne School (predecessor to Talladega College) opened in 1867. In 1938, under the direction of President Buell G. Gallagher, and in partnership with the Chair of the Board of Trustees, George W. Crawford, Talladega began plans to build a new library. Gallagher believed a new library built by both African Americans and White citizens – just as the College itself was established – could be a statement of “interracial harmony and intellectual advancement.” American artist Hale A. Woodruff – who had just returned from Mexico where he worked alongside Diego Rivera – was commissioned to paint three large-scale murals portraying the Amistad mutiny and its aftermath for the lobby of the new library. The following year, Woodruff was commissioned to paint three additional murals depicting The Underground Railroad, Opening Day at Talladega College, and The Building of Savery Library, named for one of the founders of the College and in memory of all the individuals and abolitionist organizations responsible for its creation.
Upon their completion, the murals were installed in Savery Library where they remained for 70 years. In 2011, Talladega College partnered with the High Museum of Art to conserve and bring Woodruff’s murals to a broader audience. The paintings toured to several institutions across the United States until early 2015 before returning to campus and The Dr. William R. Harvey Museum of Art in 2020.
After facing a period of financial challenges, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic, the College’s Board of Trustees took significant steps in 2024 to improve the financial health and stability of the institution. Concurrently, and with the experience of the touring exhibition in mind, the Board also began a year-long process, with the support of art advisors, del Rio | Byers, to identify opportunities for the murals that maintained the rich history and legacy of the College, while ensuring they remained in the public domain. Three key objectives guided the process: to ensure a vibrant future for the College, expand the profile of Alabama’s first private Historically Black College, and increase the visibility of Hale A. Woodruff’s extraordinary paintings.
Rica Lewis-Payton concluded, “The result of more than a year of careful consideration and due diligence resulted in an unprecedented coalition that benefits Talladega College in extraordinary ways and honors those who came before us, including Hale A. Woodruff, whose paintings will now be seen by millions across the United States and around the world. As we look to the future, we can clearly see the opportunity before us. Talladega has a long history of producing the leaders of tomorrow, and to ensure we properly arm our students for success in a changing world, we must take bold steps to redefine a liberal arts education, which will now be possible through this historic partnership.”
