Before arriving in its permanent home at the Center for Civil and Human Rights (CCHR) in 2010, Benny Andrews: The John Lewis Series will be showcased in Macon in early 2008.

Art is a very important way of telling the civil rights story, and Congressman John Lewis is a key figure in the movement. Benny Andrews brought both together in his tribute to the former Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

In early 2007 Atlanta philanthropist Anne Cox Chambers purchased the series with the anticipation that the collection will be displayed at the CCHR when it opens in 2010. In addition to the King Papers, this is the second significant donation to the Center.

Benny Andrews: The John Lewis Series consists of more than twenty paintings and forty drawings depicting the life of famed U.S. Congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis.

The artist Benny Andrews is known for his mixed media paintings that explore the intersection of American history and African American culture. One of ten children born to sharecropper parents in Madison, Ga., he went on to achieved great acclaim as a New York-based contemporary artist. Over the course of his career, he was internationally respected for his artistic output, as well as for his advocacy for minority artists. The John Lewis Series is Andrews’ last series of works

The first public exhibition of Andrews’ John Lewis Series was at the Parish Gallery in Washington, D.C. in 2006. On Jan. 11, 2008 the Tubman Museum in Macon will become the second gallery to premiere the unique and powerful exhibit.

From Jan. 11 – Apr. 13, 2008, the exhibit will be on display at the Tubman Museum, located at 340 Walnut St., Macon, Ga. 31201. For additional information or directions, please call (478) 743-8544 or visit www.tubmanmuseum.com.