2003.21.1.-.10
Runaways
Artist
Glenn Ligon
(Bronx, New York, 1960 - )
Title
Runaways
Creation Date
1993
Century
late 20th century
Dimensions
16 in. x 12 in. (40.64 cm x 30.48 cm)
Object Type
prints
Creation Place
North America, United States
Medium and Support
lithographs on paper
Credit Line
Museum Purchase, Lloyd O. and Marjorie Strong Coulter Fund
Copyright
This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s
Copyright Terms and Conditions.
Accession Number
2003.21.1.-.10
Composed of a block of text using different typefaces and a stock drawing of a stereotypical black figure, each lithograph mimics nineteenth-century ads that slave owners posted or placed in publications in their quest to identify and locate their runaway slaves. Each text begins with the phrase “Ran away,” followed by a description of the artist solicited from different friends. For an African American, reading one after another stimulates a journey—a private and curious series of thoughts. Were any of my ancestors the subjects of such ads? How would I have been described if I were a runaway slave, someone’s property, not seen as a full person? From years of experience, I know that each time I encounter Runaways, the work will invariably move from outside of me to inside of me. More and more, I see the work’s title, Runaways, acquiring a layered irony, or expressing an unfortunate, ongoing truth.
Alvin D. Hall, Class of 1974
Independent Author