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By Timothy Ervin/ASU
The National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at Alabama State University (National Center) is now home to a landmark contribution in Black visual arts: 28 works of art by 24 artists from the National Alliance of Artists from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (NAAHBCU) have been donated to the Center, forming the foundation of what is now a permanent and historic collection.
This unprecedented gift of original works will be unveiled during the National Center’s annual Colvin-Feagin Art & Jazz Show on Thursday, July 17, 2025, from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the Montgomery Interpretive Center (MIC) on the ASU campus. The event will serve as the opening reception for the exhibit, which will remain on public display through September 30, 2025.
“It is a great honor to be entrusted with these powerful expressions of heritage, identity, and artistic excellence,” said Raegan C. Stearns, University Archivist at ASU. “Unlike past exhibits, which showcased loaned works, this collection represents permanent gifts—self-selected by the artists to reflect their individual styles and voices. Their trust in the National Center to preserve and showcase this legacy speaks volumes.”
The donation is part of the NAAHBCU Art Legacy Project, spearheaded by Dr. Lee A. Ransaw, co-founder of the Alliance and professor emeritus at Morris Brown College. The project was conceived in collaboration with Dr. Janice Franklin, Director for the National Center and Dean of ASU’s Levi Watkins Learning Center.
“We are pleased and very excited to share with you a portion of the excellent collection of fine art that is now in the permanent collection of the National Center,” said Dr. Ransaw. “Our long-range goal has always been to bring artists and art education to the forefront of American art and to keep art programs as institutional priorities for generations to come.”
For more than a decade, the Colvin-Feagin Art & Jazz Show has celebrated the creative legacy of Dr. William E. Colvin and Mr. John W. Feagin, two iconic ASU professors whose influence continues to shape the University’s artistic spirit. This year’s event adds a new chapter to that legacy by honoring Dr. Ransaw and featuring artists who have shaped, taught at, or been affiliated with HBCU art programs across the nation.
“This year’s exhibition continues to honor both Dr. Colvin and Mr. Feagin while highlighting the incredible generosity and talent of our NAAHBCU colleagues,” said Cleve Webber, the National Center’s museum curator. “These are not only works of art—they are historical documents that belong to the cultural record of African American academic institutions.”
Among the artists represented in the exhibit are Jesse Coleman, Ann Johnson, Henry Blackmon, III, William Buchanan, Phillip Dotson, Marcella Muhammad, Charlie T. Johnson, Dennis Winston, Clarence Talley, Sr., Tracie Lee Hawkins, Samuel O. Williams, Lee Ransaw, Johnnie Mae Maberry, Joseph A. Pearson, Bryan Wilson, Leon Hicks, William Colvin, John Feagin, Dwight Smith, Willie Hooker, Peggy Blood, Ricky Calloway, Ansel Butler, and Cleve Webber.
The evening reception will include a live performance by the Ike Bell Jazz Quartet, an appetizer-heavy reception, and a commemorative brochure featuring each participating artist and their contribution. The event is free and open to the public, with students, faculty, artists, and community members from across the River Region encouraged to attend.
The Colvin-Feagin Art & Jazz Show is part of the National Center’s ongoing mission to celebrate Black artistic expression and heritage, foster dialogue around history and identity, and strengthen community engagement through the arts.
For more information about the exhibit, contact Raegan Stearns, University Archivist, at 334-604-9122.