Back of the Bus for Now
Back of the Bus for Now stems from the artist’s Great Migration Portfolio, inspired by the Great Migration of over six million African Americans from the rural South to the urban North between 1910 and 1970. He came upon the idea for this work as he culled through a box of vintage photographs. The painting features a young girl living around 1966 in the segregated South. Despite her prim and pretty dress, she will be forced to sit in the back of the bus, shamefully relegated on account of her color. A small bird perches atop the bus. Frequently a motif in Geary’s work, the bird has multivalent meanings—both positive and negative. The later serves as reminder of the oppressive Jim Crow laws. A more uplifting reference is the bird symbolizing freedom of movement, and concomitantly the concept of migration to a more prosperous future. The painting sadly recalls the turbulent decades of segregation in America, yet also honors the bravery of those African Americans who suffered and overcame unfathomable obstacles. Back of the Bus for Now represents a symbol of survival and inspiration.
Born in Chicago, David Anthony Geary studied art in New Orleans at Xavier University. He communicates his perspective of the world through a multivalent visual language, equally adept in painting, printmaking, collage, sculpture, and photography. His art has been featured in exhibitions throughout the state, and he is the recipient of the Rebuild Foundation Residency at the Stony Island Arts Bank. He was awarded a solo exhibition, The Great Migration Series, at the Governors State University Visual Arts Gallery in University Park, Illinois. Pensive and erudite, Geary engages human experience, private and public, to create works aesthetically beautiful and laden with deep societal relevance.
As part of the ongoing Union League Club tradition of culture and philanthropy, Edward L. Cooper III, the 128th President of the Club, donated this painting.
Sally Metzler, Ph.D., Director of the Art Collection
