Selma at the Clark

Martin Luther King’s legacy will be evoked and discussed January 18th at the Clark Museum In Williamstown MA when the museum presents a free screening of the film, Selma, at 2PM in the Michael Conforti Pavilion.

“In the past museum education departments have seen their role as teaching about their collections,” said Ronna Tulgan Ostheimer, director of education, “but most art museums today—and certainly the Clark—see themselves as teaching with their collections, as becoming places for learning, for connecting. Particularly if you think of art as representing the human experience, it gives people an opportunity to deal with all aspects of the human condition. Art museums are becoming more of an arena for discourse on important issues, and, in that vein, we are screening Selma and having a talk-back session after.”

The film tells the story of the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement.

Directed by Ava DuVernay and starring David Oyelowo, Selma was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture. It is rated PG-13 and runs 128 minutes.

“There are certainly so many issues of race and identity current in our communities today,” said Tulgan Ostheimer. “It’s important to have an opportunity to talk, to listen and to think.”

The Clark Art Institute, located at 225 South Street, is one of a small number of art museums that are also centers for research, critical discussion and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, it houses European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver and early photography. The Clark’s galleries are open Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Regular admission charged.

For further information call 413-458-2303 or click the link below.