Explore the intersection of politics, art, culture, and social dynamics during Hollywood’s Red Scare through photographs, objects, and film.
Explore the intersection of politics, art, culture, and social dynamics during Hollywood’s Red Scare through photographs, objects, and film.
1st floor, Robert H. and Clarice Smith South Gallery
In 1947, the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) called Hollywood figures to testify about allegations of communist propaganda in American films. Although the committee never found any evidence, it held ten of the writers and directors in contempt of Congress. The Ten were fined and sentenced to prison. Hollywood responded by creating a blacklist of those implicated in the proceedings, becoming the first mass employer to adopt a policy against employees whose political beliefs ran counter to prevailing orthodoxies.
Blacklisted: An American Story explores the intersection of politics, art, culture, and social dynamics during Hollywood’s Red Scare through photographs, objects, and film. Personal narratives of the blacklisted “Hollywood Ten,” members of Congress, and film executives reveal different approaches to what it means to be a patriotic American. The exhibition also explores how Broadway and New York’s theatre community responded at a time when art and creative expression were no longer protected.
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Blacklisted: An American Story is a traveling exhibition created by the Jewish Museum Milwaukee and coordinated for The New York Historical by Anne Lessy, assistant curator of history exhibitions and academic engagement, with contributions from Emily Pazar, assistant curator of decorative arts and material culture.
Lead support for Blacklisted: An American Story is provided by the Ford Foundation and Sy and Laurie Sternberg. Major support is provided by the David Berg Foundation and the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation. Additional support is provided by Kate Kelly and George Schweitzer, Patricia Askwith Kenner, and Ambassador John L. Loeb, Jr.
Exhibitions at The New York Historical are made possible by Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang, the Saunders Trust for American History, the Evelyn & Seymour Neuman Fund, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. WNET is the media sponsor.
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