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Fort Collins, CO—The Fort Collins Museum of Art and The Lincoln Center Gallery will co-present a provocative exhibition on the topics of hate, discrimination and violence - and the transformation toward justice, love and empathy. The exhibition is titled, Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate and will run January 20 - March 19, 2017. Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate showcases the diverse work of 39 artists who have transformed thousands of anti-Semitic and racist books into an uplifting and dynamic exhibition. The exhibition is visually powerful, thought-provoking, sometimes humorous, always challenging, and ultimately deeply moving.

The story of Speaking Volumes began in 2003 when the Montana Human Rights Network in Helena, Montana, acquired more than 4,000 copies of white supremacist books from a defecting leader of one of the most virulent hate groups in the nation. The Human Rights Network, through a partnership with the Holter Museum of Art in Helena, implemented its vision of transforming the books into works of art with a positive message.

Rarely does an exhibition stimulate so much conversation and creative response among children, youth, and adults. Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate encourages audiences to explore creative strategies for transforming hate. Visitors often participate in dialogue to share their own stories and listen to others, deepening empathy for those who are perceived as "different," and encouraging respect for social justice. Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate, which opened at the Holter Museum in Helena, Montana, in 2008 and has been travelling to museums around the country for the past eight years. While the rapid rise in the number of hate groups and hate crimes is a cause for alarm, so is institutionalized discrimination. Systemic oppression broadly impacts members of many groups based on their race, religion, gender, sexual identity, country of origin, disabilities, economic class, and age. By responding creatively to hate, injustice and violence, the artists in Speaking Volumes provoke thinking and conversations that encourage empathy for others and respect for social justice.

This exhibition has been sponsored by Montana Human Rights Network. Organized by Curator Katie Knight. It is also partially sponsored by the City of Fort Collins Fort Fund, Bohemian Foundation, The Lincoln Center Support League, Eye Center of Northern Colorado, EKS&H, ReMax Advanced, The Youth Clinic, Coloradoan, Loveland Reporter-Herald, KRFC, KUNC, Wilbur’s Total Beverage, Buttercream Cupcakery.

Credit information

Image: Barbara Romain, Dialogue: Peace, 2007, Acrylic

About the Lincoln Center

The mission of the Lincoln Center is to be a leader in cultural experience and to make it an essential value to the community.

The Lincoln Center is one of Colorado's largest and most diverse presenters of professional theatre, dance, music, visual arts and children's programs. It features two performing art spaces (a 1,180-seat performance hall and a 220-seat theatre), art gallery, and outdoor sculpture garden. The Lincoln Center is also a premier destination for weddings, corporate, and special events wtih five events spaces (two indoor ballrooms, interior meeting space, and outdoor terrace & rooftop patio). A City-owned and operated facility it is located at 417 W Magnolia, Fort Collins, CO 80521.