Rudolph Fisher: Rhode Island’s Gift to the Harlem Renaissance
January 9-26, 2025
Curated by Stages of Freedom
Opening reception
January 9th, 4-6pm
Free & open to the public
Rudolph Fisher and his literary genius were Rhode Island’s gift to the Harlem Renaissance, an arts and letters movement of young gifted artists who were encouraged by Alain Locke and W.E.B. DuBois to connect their creativity to Afrocentric ideas and ideals. Fisher grew up in Providence, attended Classical High School and Brown University, and formed his enormous ambitions and vision in the small, parochial limits of Rhode Island, yet remains virtually unknown here.
A novelist, short story writer, dramatist, and jazz musician, Fisher’s contributions to Black literature are inestimable. His output in the small window of time he had on earth (he passed at 37), is remarkable, instructive and has much to teach us about race relations, Black brilliance, and excellence. With a mind capable of straddling the worlds of literature and biology (his two majors at Brown) and the capacity to see how the two intersect, Fisher forged a unique career in letters and medicine at a time when both were challenging for people of color. His novel The Conjure-Man Dies introduced a totally new literary form: the Black detective novel.
As a doctor and writer, Fisher’s occupations, artistry, and probity meet at the crossroads of interracial possibilities and racial inclusivity, an exceptionalism he explored and aspired to in his writing and practiced in his daily life. Today, his multi-talents provide powerful opportunities and road maps for young African Americans to engage in a public discourse on literacy, community, art, humanity, and the imperative of integration.
This exhibition was made possible by:
Rhode Island State Council on the Arts
Rhode Island Humanities
The Providence Athenæum
The Providence Shelter
National Trust for Historic Preservation
The Iona Dobbins Art Fund
Rhode Island Foundation Community Gifts
Classical High School
Type Punch Matrix Rare Book Dealer
McBlain Books
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February 4 – May 4, 2025
