Artist
Imar Hutchins
Banna-Ka (Benjamin Banneker)
Date2019
MediumAcrylic, serigraph and collage on canvas
Dimensions72 × 54 in. (182.9 × 137.2 cm)
Framed Size: 73 3/4 × 55 3/4 in. (187.3 × 141.6 cm)
Credit LineDC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank Collection
Object numberDCCAH2020.020
ClassificationsPaintings
Locations
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Library (901 G St NW)
DescriptionImar Hutchins spent several months researching Benjamin Banneker’s significant contributions to Washington history in order to produce a portrait that honors his legacy and connection to the District. This collaged print references Banneker’s skill as a young untrained clockmaker; his grandfather’s roots in West Africa; and his mathematical studies. Like other Banneker portraits, Hutchins began with elements from a historical engraving of Banneker; in addition, Hutchins relied on physical descriptions and his own imagination of how Banneker appeared around age nineteen, when he built his first clock. By depicting the great man in his youth, Hutchins hopes to inspire young people to imagine their own potential that may one day change the course of history.
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