Events

An Ongoing Art Collection by Constance Ivana

Freedom Between the Pages is a compelling, ongoing collection by artist, educator, and avid reader Constance Ivana, created in direct response to the alarming rise in book bans—especially those targeting works by and about Black people. This exhibition confronts the silencing of stories that explore identity, truth, trauma, and triumph within the Black experience.

As an English teacher, Constance finds it deeply troubling that autobiographies—narratives rooted in lived experience—can be deemed inappropriate or erased altogether. Through this collection, she offers both a protest and a celebration: a protest against censorship and a celebration of truth-telling, resistance, and the transformative power of the written word.

Visitors are invited to step into this space, honor the voices behind the pages, and engage in the vital conversation about whose stories are allowed to be told. Each piece pays homage to banned works and their authors, encouraging reflection on literacy, identity, and the enduring fight for intellectual freedom.

Woven throughout the collection is the musical influence of Bob Marley, particularly the lyric: “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery.” This message anchors the work, underscoring how reading and education liberate minds and cultivate independent thought.