ArtistArtis Lane
Rosa Parks, The Beginning
Date1993
MediumLithograph
Dimensions24 × 27 in. (61 × 68.6 cm)
Credit LineDC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank Collection
Object numberDCCAH1998.035
ClassificationsPrints
Locations
- Office of the Inspector General (100 M Street, SE, Suite 1000)
Description“The Beginning” depicts a young Rosa Parks seated on the bus on that fateful day. Ms. Parks looks out the window at a school, a courthouse and the American flag, symbolizing Ms. Parks’ idealism and love of country. The original painting hangs in the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, AL.
This painting has also been reproduced in a limited edition lithograph of 750, with the original signature of Rosa Parks.
This lithograph can be found in the collections of institutions such as the California African American Museum and the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Human Rights, Los Angeles.
As the official artist of Rosa Parks, Artis Lane has captured her image in many mediums. In addition to “The Beginning,” she was also commissioned to design the Congressional Medal of Honor presented to Ms. Parks by President Bill Clinton in 1999. Ms. Lane also created the bronze busts of Ms. Parks at the Smithsonian Portrait Museum and The Rosa Parks Museum at Troy State.
