Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. declared that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” In this struggle for justice, Massachusetts-based artist Pamela Chatterton-Purdy sees godliness made manifest. Godliness is reflected in the actions of individuals who protect the weak from the strong, who maintain innocence in an evil world, or who fight for the dignity of being a human being. The arc is bent through the struggle and sacrifice of innumerable individuals, only some of whom will be named in a place of honor in the pages of history. Chatterton-Purdy has devoted the last seven years to a project called “Icons of the Civil Rights Movement … Connecting the Dots,” that venerates these heroes — both the known and unknown.

MLK - I Have a Dream

To see more of Pamela Chatterton-Purdy’s work, visit the Tikkun Daily Art Gallery and visit the artist’s website.

In 1963, Chatterton-Purdy was one of two whites working for Ebony Magazine in Chicago. In September of that year, four young girls were killed when a bomb exploded at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. The atrocity marked a turning point both for the Civil Rights Movement, and for Chatterton-Purdy personally. “We were all the same color that day,” Chatterton-Purdy recounts. “It was devastating.”

Horror at the violence that could be perpetrated against innocents catalyzed Chatterton-Purdy’s activism. The series “Icons of the Civil Rights Movement” had its genesis in a 2004 trip through the South. Chatterton-Purdy and her husband visited Civil Rights milestones with one hundred high school students, all of whom were profoundly affected by what they saw.

Pamela Chatterton-Purdy describes working with oil paintings as her first love. The nature of oils enables her to “paint with light,” producing the boldest, most vibrant colors. Oil paints, for instance, produce the deepest reds — a color that figures prominently in Chatterton-Purdy’s work. Chatterton-Purdy’s collages owe both to the aesthetic qualities of oils and the tactile qualities of wood and found objects. Collage allows an artist to work with a material and then add layers that create richer contrasts as textures are built up. Chatterton-Purdy began working with wood after making collages on canvas for her series “Icons of 9/11.” Canvas was too insubstantial for the new project — religious icons painted on wood can last for centuries.

Freedom Riders

For her series “Icons of the Civil Rights Movement,” Chatterton-Purdy begins with a heavy wood backing that she cuts and shapes with power tools, glued and fastened together. She then paints the entire surface with red oil paint, and then applies sheets of gold leaf, “leaving a little bit of the red showing through.” The red conveys “a feeling of spirit and fire and the energy that went into what was really a Holy Spirit movement” for her. The presence of deep reds and doves as a motif in Chatterton-Purdy’s work is a reflection of her belief that the Holy Spirit manifests itself through the courage and sacrifices of ordinary people. “Icons of 9/11,” for instance, contains many of the same colors and motifs as “Icons of the Civil Rights Movement.” Both series celebrate the same qualities of selflessness and sacrifice that embody godliness in ordinary people. “For me, the Civil Rights Movement was very much a Holy Spirit Movement.”

This is why one sees white Americans like Rabbi Abraham Heschel or Viola Liuzzo venerated in the series. “The whole movement was people who were moved — of all walks of life, of all colors — for peace and justice. That’s what’s so inspiring to me, that there’s something in the human spirit that rises up and says ‘this is wrong, we need to do something about it.’”

Bringing together others who see the godliness of the Civil Rights heroes is the “Connecting the Dots” portion of Chatterton-Purdy’s project. Reception to the project has been overwhelmingly positive from audiences who have experienced it, and the stories that people have shared have been the most enriching aspect of taking the icons on tour.

It’s called ‘Icons of the Civil Rights Movement — Connecting the Dots.’ Because from Ebony magazine to the adoption of our [African American] kids to these different people that have connected with this exhibit, it’s a very diverse amount of stories we have here. People have come up to us to share their sit-in stories. These are ordinary people and their stories have not been told.

Viola Liuzzo

For the time being, Chatterton-Purdy and her husband have no choice but to tour the icons in order to have them exhibited, as they’ve yet to find a permanent home. The Anacostia Museum, a branch of the Smithsonian dedicated to African American history, demonstrated an initial interest in exhibiting “Icons of the Civil Rights Movement.” The director of the museum was interested in the series as a donation, but reneged upon discovering that Chatterton-Purdy is white. “But I understand, there’s been white privilege forever, blacks have few venues for their own voice.”

Despite the grueling nature of touring with twenty-two heavy, wooden icons in a car, it’s touring that gives Chatterton-Purdy a chance to “Connect the Dots” with others.

“I got an email from a woman with a nine-year old daughter. She emails me and says, ‘I love your icon of Viola Liuzzo, would you mind if my daughter downloads the image? She’s going to be playing Viola Liuzzo at her school.’ So I emailed her back and I said ‘I’d be delighted, but I’ll do your daughter one better — I can put you in touch with Viola’s three daughters and Viola’s sister.’ So I have a picture of this nine-year-old carrying shoes under her arm the way that Viola had in Selma, standing in front of this storyboard of the icon I did of Viola.”

Visit the Tikkun Daily Art Gallery and visit the artist’s website to see more of Pamela Chatterton-Purdy’s work.