African American Museum Shows Striking Photography And More In New Fall Exhibition Cotton | UWISHUNU Philadelphia

The African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) is the first institution dedicated to showcasing the work and history of African Americans to be built by a major American city.

Now, the newest fall exhibition at AAMP retells parts of American slavery through a nontraditional lens: cotton. John E. Dowell is a Philadelphia-based visual artist who, through photographs, installations and altarpieces, created Cotton: The Soft, Dangerous Beauty of the Past.

“These works are a visual exploration of the role of cotton in shaping that past, as well as our present,” said Dowell.