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about this work



Audio guide stop for Kerry James Marshall, Souvenir IV, 1998

look closer

What kind of place is this? Describe what you see.

Do you think this place is real or imaginary? Why do you think that?

Who might these people be?

Why do you think the artist titled this painting Souvenir?


Kerry James Marshall, Souvenir IV, 1998  98.56 For Teachers

In his Souvenir series, Kerry James Marshall pays tribute to the artistic and political leaders of the 1960s, many of whom are African American. Marshall credits his interest in commemorating the civil rights movement to his upbringing, explaining that “You can’t be born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1955 and . . . move to Watts in ’63, and grow up in South Central [Los Angeles] near the Black Panthers headquarters and see the kinds of things that I saw in my developmental years, and not speak about it.”

Have your students research the civil rights movement. Who were some of the key players in the movement, and what actions did they take to promote change? Look at Souvenir IV and search online to find the three other works from Marshall’s Souvenir series. Who does Marshall choose to name or portray, and why might he have chosen those people?

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