The Voice of the People: Freedom of Speech

The Rollins Museum of Art presents 'The Voice of the People: Freedom of Speech'.

How do artists articulate visually the importance of communication and access to information in contemporary society? What is the role of free speech in a polarized political climate? In tandem with the 2023-2024 Rollins College Common Read theme, Political Polarization, this exhibition examines the ways in which freedom of speech shapes democracy and civic engagement.

The exhibition features a selection of works from the collection that center freedom of speech as a pillar of productive political conversations by exploring multiple artistic perspectives, approaches, and media. Works by artists Pedro Reyes, Michael Stone, and Danh Vo consider notions of freedom, democracy, and politics, while Jenny Holzer, Kota Ezawa, Hank Willis Thomas, and Emily Shur address specific instances in which freedom of speech has been recently debated. Also included in the selection are works by Melvin Edwards, Josh Kline, Marcus Jansen, and Norman Rockwell.