Trapped

Object Details

Caption: Alvin Hollingworth’s Trapped addresses the detrimental effect of redlining on urban African American communities. The U.S. government developed the process of redlining in the 1930s, when the New Deal’s Home Owners’ Loan Corporation created color-coded maps of American cities. Colors were used to assess lending and insurance risks based on the racial makeup of a geographic area. Affluent white neighborhoods were marked with green, while poor African American neighborhoods were outlined in red.; The red wooden slats attached to the painting’s surface form a metaphorical fence, referencing the lack of opportunity this system created. When businesses refused to invest in urban areas, it led to unemployment, devaluation of property, and the inability of residents to relocate. Trapped is part of Hollingsworth’s 1960s Cry City series.
Description: This oil painting and collage shows a lone, shadowy figure against an urban background. Swathed in a shapeless garment, the figure stands alone before a dark background in which the silhouettes of high rise buildings can be seen. There is a yellow globe in the sky to the figure's left. The figure stands behind a high fence. Positioned in front of the fence are vertical bars of wood, painted red. They part slightly to allow the viewer to see the figure. The dark urban landscape can be seen through the bars. On the bars are fragments of white letters.

Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift in honor of Dr. and Mrs. Henry A. Collins

1965

Restrictions & Rights: © Alvin Carl Hollingsworth 1965; Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

Medium: oil paint with acrylic and mixed media on Masonite (TM)
Dimensions: H x W (Frame): 25 9/16 × 49 5/16 × 2 13/16 in. (65 × 125.2 × 7.1 cm); H x W (Unframed): 24 × 47 13/16 in. (61 × 121.5 cm)

See more items in: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Portfolio/Series: Cry City
Classification: Visual Arts
Movement: Civil Rights Movement
Exhibition: Reckoning: Protest. Defiance. Resilience.
On View: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 052

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Topic: African American; Art; Civil Rights; Housing; Race discrimination; Violence

GUID (Link to Original Record): http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd559b5f473-d206-4300-b475-ad341c667da4