Nearly 13 months ago, Louisville, Ky. police officers kicked in the apartment door while executing a search warrant. A woman and her boyfriend were lying asleep in their bed. Claiming self-defense, some of the officers decided to shoot, and the sleeping woman was killed. That woman’s name is Breonna Taylor, and thanks to a new exhibit –more people will learn about her and how racism tears families apart.
Though justice has not yet come for the essential worker who was merely trying to get some rest, a museum in Louisville has come up with a way to tell her story and honor her life. The Speed Art Museum is currently displaying an exhibit entitled the “Promise, Witness, Remembrance” exhibit. The exhibit includes the famous portrait of Taylor that artist Amy Sherald created.
The idea is the result of a collaboration of sorts with Breonna’s family. Tamika Palmer, the victim’s mother, said, “I was in awe just at the thought that people who don’t even know her take time out of their day to draw something of her … even just as simple as her name.”
Working alongside local artists and community members, Palmer, Breonna’s sister, and an aunt lent their support to the project aimed at tackling the issues of police brutality and racism.
The exhibit’s curator is Allison Glenn who spent time with Palmer and the rest of the family to conceptualize the visual representation of Breonna’s life and legacy. That is where the name of the exhibit was born. Taylor’s mother even contributed a timeline of her daughter’s life to the exhibit.
Toya Northington, Community Engagement Strategist at the museum, went through much planning and convincing to accomplish this work. Some people were reluctant to share their stories of social injustice, and even members of the steering committee disagreed at times. However, one non-negotiable was the presence of Black artists. “That [featuring Black artists] was the number one requirement,” Northington said.
Though two of the detectives involved in what happened that night at Taylor’s apartment have been fired, only one officer has been criminally charged in the incident. His charge was merely wanton endangerment for shooting in a way that could have harmed Breonna’s neighbors but not for killing her. He is awaiting trial.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron came under fire when it was revealed that he did not even offer the charge of murder to the grand jury and lied about information involving the Breonna Taylor case. In January, three of those jurors sued to have him impeached. Protesters sat on his lawn to call attention to his blatant acquiescence to racism after dragging his feet about assembling the grand jury.
Speed Art Museum will run the exhibit through June 6, and admission is free. For those who are non-local to Lousiville, the exhibit is available at the museum’s website.
