Welcome to the Sordoni Art Gallery at Wilkes University
The Sordoni Art Gallery is an innovative educational exhibition space. The gallery offers students and the local community a creative learning experience by providing rich programming, workshops, lectures, and year-round exhibitions featuring diverse, internationally recognized artists.
Gallery Hours:
Tuesday - Friday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m.- 7 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Closed Mondays and University Holidays. All Sordoni exhibitions and events are free
and open to the public.
A Stirring Song Heroic: African Americans from Slavery to Freedom
William Earle Williams
Exhibition Dates: August 21 - October 7, 2018
Opening Reception & Artist Lecture: September 5 | 4:30 - 7:00 pm
A Stirring Song Heroic is an exhibition of contemporary photographic works by William Earle Williams presented
alongside related historic objects. Together, they depict the often invisible journey
from slavery to freedom in the United States. The exhibition focuses on sites and
historic events in the New World from 1619 to 1865 where Americans, black and white,
determined the meaning of freedom.
Art In Context: Lunchtime Lectures at 12:00pm
Bring your own lunch to the Sordoni Art Gallery and we'll provide the lecture inspired by the exhibition.
- September 18: In Their Own Words: Recovering the History of Slavery Through Slave Narratives, Dr. Diane Wenger, Associate Professor and Chair of Global Studies, Wilkes University
- October 2: Antislavery Actions in the Wyoming Valley, Dr. Aimee Newell, Executive Director, Luzerne County Historical Society
About the Artist: William Earle Williams is Audrey A. and John L. Dusseau Professor in the Humanities, Professor of Fine Arts and Curator of Photography at Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania; he has been affiliated with Haverford since 1978, after receiving his M.F.A. in photography that year from the Yale University School of Art.
His photographs have been widely exhibited, including group and solo exhibitions at the Cleveland Museum of Art; George Eastman House; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Smith College; and the Smithsonian, Castle Building. His photographs are in many public collections including the Philadelphia Museum of Art; Baltimore Art Museum; Brooklyn Museum; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Princeton University Art Museum; the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and the National Gallery. Williams is a 1997 Pew Fellow in the Arts, and has received individual artist fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts in 1986, 1997 and 2003. He was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship for 2003–04. He served as a member of the national board of the Society for Photographic Education from 1997–2003 and as a past member of the executive committee. He was the Conference Chair for the 1998 SPE National Conference in Philadelphia.
Patrons requesting accommodations or services at Wilkes University or Wilkes University-sponsored events in accordance with The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title III: Public Accommodations are asked to contact the University at 1-800-Wilkes-U to request such services/accommodations. It is recommended that requests be made at least 48 hours prior to any event.
