The only thing that compares to the love exemplified by Bernard and Shirley Kinsey’s 53-year relationship is their shared love for art and Black history. Although the couple’s union spans five decades, the rare pieces of their critically acclaimed art and history collection date back to 1595.
On January 23 at 7:30 p.m., African-American Treasures from the Kinsey Collection presented by Toyota will open at the Foster-Tanner Fine Arts Gallery, located at 1630 Pinder Street.
For the Kinseys, partnering with Toyota to bring the exhibit to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) made sense as it is the site of many milestones in their lives together: their first meeting in 1963 as undergraduate students; the place where they both joined the fight for civil rights; and their wedding reception four years later in 1967.
The world-renowned Kinsey collection is the recipient of three national awards including the President’s National Award for Museum and Library Services.
The entire 500-piece collection boasts manuscripts, books, documents, letters, and two-dimensional art, including the first book published by an African-American, Phillis Wheatley. The oldest document in the collection is a baptism document for a girl named Estabana from 1595.
“For a culture to survive you need three things: the artists to create; collectors to purchase; and museums like Foster-Tanner to show them,” Bernard Kinsey said. “We are extremely pleased that we have been able to capture and show the profound contributions of African Americans from the diaspora and achievement throughout this country.”
He added, “Without them, we could not have a hemisphere as advanced as this. From the tango in Argentina to the samba, to every other aspect of life in South America, Central America, and the US, all of these things were enhanced because of African influence.”
The Kinseys began collecting when their son Khalil was in third grade after they realized that they were unable to provide him with any detailed information about their ancestors for a history project. Bernard Kinsey said he began to look to find things his son could be proud of, and this was the beginning of the legacy that is now the Kinsey Collection.
Bernard’s wife, Shirley, echoed the sentiment saying, “That’s what this is all about – telling untold stories. Hopefully, we can inspire those who see the exhibit to find untold stories in their own families.”
Khalil, son of Bernard and Shirley Kinsey and a graduate of the FAMU School of Journalism and Graphic Communication, now serves as vice president of the Bernard and Shirley Kinsey Foundation and the Kinsey Collection general manager, overseeing exhibits and properties, including contracts, management, curatorial duties, and conservation.
Khalil shared his hope for the collection that he calls an “agent for change and empowerment.”
“I just hope that more of us wake up to our history and power within it, and take the teaching and sharing of it into our own hands,” Khalil Kinsey said. “Our history is beautiful, and there’s a lot to be learned from it, not just pain and struggle.”
He added, “I want young African Americans to question what they’re being taught, and to not accept the way we’re portrayed on the radio or TV, from ourselves or anybody. I want us to expand our view of what being Black means.”
The collection was previously housed at the Mary S. Brogan Museum of Tallahassee in 2009-10, the National Museum of American History, and Smithsonian Institute, and can now be seen at Epcot of Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., until 2018.
African American Treasures from the Kinsey Collection will be featured at Foster-Tanner Fine Arts Gallery from Jan. 23 to March 25 and is free and open to the public. On opening night, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception from 6-7 p.m., with an exhibit tour thereafter. On Sunday, January 24, Bernard Kinsey will present a lecture titled, “What You Didn’t Learn in High School History” from 3-5 p.m. at the RA Gray Building, located at 500 S. Bronough St.
For more information on the Kinsey collection, visit thekinseycollection.com.