By dawn’s early light
The years 2024 and 2025 mark the sixtieth anniversaries of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The two Acts transformed life in the United States for many marginalized individuals, including people of color, women, people with disabilities, elders, and others who had not had equal rights in the nation’s history. This legislation was the culmination of nearly a century of work by activists and advocates.
By dawn’s early light reflects on the historical context against which these Acts came into being: the U.S. Constitution’s Preamble and the rights outlined in the First, Second, and Fourteenth Amendments. Each gallery features selections from the Nasher’s permanent collection that speak to these documents, questioning what it means to form a nation, to have a right to assemble, to own weapons, to pursue the American dream, and to define who “we the people” are.
This exhibition invites us to ask ourselves: what do we hold dear and how are we using our voices to protect those things—our values—when we go to the polls in each election? The exhibition’s title is not only a quotation from the national anthem but also a metaphor for the start of a new day, the hope for fresh possibilities to collectively imagine new futures.
Artists
Kathryn Andrews, Adrián Balseca, Bill Bamberger, Roger Brown, Diego Camposeco, Kennedi Carter, Mel Chin, Dario Escobar, Leonard Freed, Genevieve Gaignard, Scherezade Garcia, Titus Brooks Heagins, Barkley L. Hendricks, Ken Heyman, Henry Horenstein, Dapper Bruce Lafitte, Michelangelo Lovelace, Danny Lyon, Mary Ellen Mark, Vik Muniz, Kambui Olujimi, Bill Owens, Gordon Parks, Fahamu Pecou, Ad Reinhardt, Gary Simmons, Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, Erika Stone, Lou Stouman, Sage Sohier, Sarah Sudhoff, Hank Willis Thomas, Burk Uzzle, Nari Ward, Antoine Williams, Fred Wilson, Purvis Young, and George Zimbel.
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Sarah Sudhoff, New Spelling, 2023. Video (color, sound). 5:44. © Sarah Sudhoff. Courtesy of the artist.
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Diego Camposeco, Tabaco (Tobacco) from the series Diego Saves the World, 2015 (printed 2016). Archival ink print. 24 1/4 × 24 1/4 inches (61.6 × 61.6 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Museum purchase, 2021.11.2. © Estate of Diego Camposeco. Image courtesy of the artist’s estate.
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Kennedi Carter, Shahqeel, 2020. Archival Pigment Print, 40 x 50 inches (101.6 x 127 cm). Edition of 7 plus 1 artist's proof. Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Museum purchase, 2023.24.1. © Kennedi Carter. Courtesy of the artist and ROSEGALLERY.
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Purvis Young, Soldiers with Tanks, 2001. Paint on Masonite, 31 × 52 inches (78.7 × 132.1 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Gift of Daniel Aubry, 2017.28.1. © The Estate of Purvis Young / Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, New York. Photo by Brian Quinby.
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Adrián Balseca, Supradigm, 2022. CitiCar, sugar cotton bags and strap. Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Museum purchase with funds provided by Marjorie (P’16, P’19, P’19) and Michael Levine (B.S.’84, P’16, P’19, P’19), 2023.8.1. © Adrián Balseca. Courtesy of the artist and Madragoa, Lisbon. Photo by Christina Jackson © Denver Art Museum.
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Mary Ellen Mark, Coppola Aiming Gun at Head, Apocalypse Now, 1976 (printed later). Gelatin silver print, edition 4/25, 20 x 24 inches (50.8 x 60.96 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Gift of Peter Daniel Ocko and Kathryn Axelrod in memory of Professor Jonathan K. Ocko, 2022.30.52. © 1963-2023 Mary Ellen Mark.
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Scherezade García, A Splendid Soil II (detail), 2023. Acrylic, pigment, charcoal, ink on linen. 73 × 54 inches (185.42 × 137.16 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Museum purchase with funds provided by Colleen and Javier Baez, 2023.22.1. © Scherezade Garcia. Courtesy of the artist and Praxis, New York.
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Genevieve Gaignard, Front Line (Nothing to Hide), 2017. Chromogenic print, edition AP1/3+2AP, 32 × 48 inches (81.3 × 121.9 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. Gift of Jennifer McCracken New (A.B.’90, J.D.’94) and Jason G. New (J.D.’94), 2018.6.3. © Genevieve Gaignard. Image courtesy of the artist and Shulamit Nazarian, Los Angeles.
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Behind the scenes: Installation progress of By dawn's early light. Photo by J Caldwell.
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Behind the scenes: Installation progress of By dawn's early light. Photo by J Caldwell.
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Behind the scenes: Melissa Gwynn, Exhibitions and Publications Manager, and Julianne Miao, Curatorial Assistant, look at the installation progress of By dawn's early light. Photo by J Caldwell.
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Behind the scenes: Woodshop Manager, Patrick Krivacka, on the scissor lift during the Installation of By dawn's early light. Photo by J Caldwell.
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Behind the scenes: Warren Hicks (right), installs photographs for the exhibition By dawn's early light. Photo by J Caldwell.
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Behind the scenes: Installation progress of By dawn's early light. Photo by J Caldwell.
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Behind the scenes: Installation progress of By dawn's early light. Photo by J Caldwell.
Organization & Support
This exhibition is organized by Xuxa Rodríguez, Patsy R. and Raymond D. Nasher Curator of Contemporary Art, with support from Julianne Miao, Curatorial Assistant.
By dawn’s early light is made possible by the Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family Fund for Exhibitions, the A. Courtney Shives Endowment Fund, the Frank Edward Hanscom Endowment, and the Janine and J. Tomilson Hill Family Fund.