The Rudolph Fisher Exhibit, by Stages of Freedom at Providence Athenaeum

Rudolph Fisher, Rhode Island’s Gift to the Harlem Renaissance, will be the exhibit of Stages of Freedom at the Providence Athenaeum at 251 Benefit Street on the East Side of Providence.

Opening Reception is January 9th from 4 to 6pm. Exhibit runs through January 27th during regular operating hours. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

About Rudolph Fisher

Rudolph Fisher and his literary genius were Rhode Island’s gift to the Harlem Renaissance, an arts and letters movement of young gifted artists who were encouraged by Alain Locke and W.E.B. DuBois to connect their creativity to Afrocentric ideas and ideals.

Fisher grew up in Providence, attended Classical High School, Brown University, and formed his enormous ambition and vision in the small, parochial limits of Rhode Island, yet he remains virtually unknown here. At Howard University he became a doctor specializing in radiation. In his free time, he wrote fiction, published exciting short stories, and invented the Black detective novel.

Stages of Freedom’s exhibit is the first ever to showcase Fisher’s life and literary output, and includes books, periodicals, photographs and more. A novelist, short story writer, dramatist, and musician, Fisher’s contributions to Black literature are inestimable. His output in the small window of time he had on earth (he passed at 37), is remarkable, instructive and has much to teach us about race relations, Black brilliance, and excellence.

With a mind capable of straddling the worlds of literature and biology (his two majors at Brown) and the capacity to see how the two intersect, Fisher forged a unique career in letters and medicine at a time when both were challenging for people of color. His novel, “The Conjure-Man Dies,” introduced a totally new literary form: the Black detective novel. As a doctor and writer, Fisher’s occupation, artistry, and probity meet at the crossroads of interracial possibilities and racial inclusivity, an exceptionalism he explored and aspired to in his writing and practiced in daily life. Today, his multi-talents provide powerful opportunities and road maps for young African Americans to engage in a public discourse on literacy, community, art, humanity and the imperative of integration.

This Exhibit Made Possible By:

For more information, contact [email protected]

About Stages of Freedom

Stages of Freedom includes the Museum of African American history and non-profit bookstore, whose proceeds help fund Swim Empowerment.

1) To build community and advance racial equity by using the arts and humanities to create and present programming that illuminates and celebrates Black Rhode Island life and culture to a large and diverse audience.

2) To provide youth of color free swimming lessons in order to reduce the high number of drownings in the BIPOC community, dismantle systemic barriers, and ensure their health and well-being.

3)  To elevate and empower Black youth by providing workshops and access to cultural opportunities, such as museums, theatre and concerts.