The University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) and the Faculty of Arts of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) work with The Kinsey African American Art and History Collection on the exhibition Rising Above from December 9, 2016 to February 26, 2017. The exhibition includes over 120 items that range from paintings and sculptures to rare first editions and manuscripts, letters and official records that testify to the courage and hope of African Americans rising above the challenges they faced – and still face – to make their voices heard.

The Kinsey Collection has been seen by over 6 million people in 24 cities around the United States. It is the first privately owned collection to have been displayed at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and is now on long-term display at Epcot, a theme park at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, that attracts millions of visitors every year.

Dr Florian Knothe, Director of the University Museum and Art Gallery, “This rising above adversity is not a localised historic phenomenon, but one as much known in Asia as in America. The documents and artifacts shown in our exhibition pertain to African emigrants and their life-stories, but, beyond a specific people, they speak for the social engagement and success, inclusion and exclusion, as well as the massive contribution of a minority group in our increasingly globalised world.”

Professor Derek Collins, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, The University of Hong Kong, “It is fitting that The Kinsey Collection makes its debut outside the US in Hong Kong. As a vibrant, open and globally connected city, the citizens of Hong Kong will find many kindred spirits in this collection. If you only have one “aha” moment while experiencing this exhibition, then all of our efforts to bring this collection to Hong Kong will have been worth it: because in that moment, you will recognise yourself.”

Mr Bernard W. and Mrs Shirley Pooler Kinsey, “This is an exhibition where art and history intersect, containing a balance of rare and authentic historical objects and fine art from 1595 to the present, which shares the incredible experience and contributions of African Americans that are often left out of American History books.”

About the exhibition

Dates: December 9, 2016 to February 26, 2017

Venue: The University Museum and Art Gallery

Courtesy of The University Museum and Art Gallery.