Historic Hale Woodruff murals at Talladega College acquired for nation wide display

Talladega College (Talladega, AL) announced a historic partnership on October 29, 2025, that will support the success of the institution for generations to come, and create opportunities for audiences around the world to engage with extraordinary works of art by the American artist Hale A. Woodruff. Four of the six monumental paintings by Woodruff commissioned by Talladega College in the late 1930s have been acquired by esteemed American arts institutions who are committed to bringing visibility to the murals and celebrating their connection to Alabama’s first private Historically Black College.

Toledo Museum of Art has acquired The Underground Railroad; Art Bridges Foundation and Terra Foundation for American Art have jointly acquired three paintings that depict the Amistad uprising and its aftermath; and two paintings capturing the founding of Talladega and the building of the school’s Savery Library will continue to be owned by the College and remain on campus. This unprecedented coalition has formed a strategic partnership that will jointly steward the paintings and maintain their connection to Talladega, including reuniting all six murals at the College on an agreed upon schedule.

“From the beginning, our goals were lofty – to ensure a vibrant future for Talladega by creating a meaningful financial opportunity that better prepares our students for an evolving world; expand the profile of Alabama’s first private Historically Black College; and increase the visibility of Hale A. Woodruff’s extraordinary paintings,” Rica Lewis-Payton, Chair of Talladega’s Board of Trustees, said. “We were fortunate that the Toledo Museum of Art, Art Bridges Foundation, and Terra Foundation for American Art believed in our aspirations and supported our efforts to create something unprecedented. Their inspiring missions directly support our ambitions: to champion and provide access to these incredible works of art, and to share American stories.”

The story of Talladega College reaches back to 1865 when two formerly enslaved men – William Savery and Thomas Tarrant – met with a group of newly freed men and pledged to establish a school for the children of former enslaved members of the community. With the support of the American Missionary Association, The Swayne School (predecessor to Talladega College) opened in 1867. In 1938, under the direction of President Buell G. Gallagher, and in partnership with the Chair of the Board of Trustees, George W. Crawford, Talladega began plans to build a new library.

Gallagher believed a new library built by both African Americans and White citizens – just as the College itself was established – could be a statement of “interracial harmony and intellectual advancement.”

American artist Hale A. Woodruff – who had just returned from Mexico where he worked alongside Diego Rivera – was commissioned to paint three large-scale murals portraying the Amistad mutiny and its aftermath for the lobby of the new library. The following year, Woodruff was commissioned to paint three additional murals depicting The Underground Railroad, Opening Day at Talladega College, and The Building of Savery Library, named for one of the founders of the College and in memory of all the individuals and abolitionist organizations responsible for its creation.

“We are honored to bring Hale Woodruff’s The Underground Railroad (1942) into our collection,” Adam M Levine, Edward Drummond and Florence Scott Libbey, Director and CEO of the Toledo Museum of Art, said. “It is a work that is especially resonant for Toledo, a city that served as a final stop on the Underground Railroad for enslaved people escaping to freedom in Canada via the Great Lakes.”

Upon their completion, the murals were installed in Savery Library where they remained for 70 years. In 2011, Talladega College partnered with the High Museum of Art to conserve and bring Woodruff’s murals to a broader audience. The paintings toured to several institutions across the United States until early 2015 before returning to campus and The Dr. William R. Harvey Museum of Art in 2020.

After facing a period of financial challenges, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic, the College’s Board of Trustees took significant steps in 2024 to improve the financial health and stability of the institution. Concurrently, and with the experience of the touring exhibition in mind, the Board also began a year-long process, with the support of art advisors, del Rio | Byers, to identify opportunities for the murals that maintained the rich history and legacy of the College, while ensuring they remained in the public domain.

“’The Amistad Series’ is iconic in the field of American art history. They represent both a powerful story of resistance and freedom and capture Hale A. Woodruff’s singular style and ability as an impactful storyteller,” Turry Flucker, Vice President of Collections and Partnerships at the Terra Foundation for American Art, said. “At the Terra Foundation, we are gratified to have the opportunity to bring greater visibility to these magnificent murals and to broaden awareness of Woodruff’s vision and voice through a tour of ‘The Amistad Series’ in the U.S. and abroad.”

About Talladega College

Talladega College, Alabama’s first private historically black liberal arts college, has been known for academic excellence for nearly 160 years. It is an institution rich in history whose mission is to equip its graduates for the global community through academic excellence, moral values, community service and professional development. Located in a historic district of the city of Talladega, Alabama, the beautiful oak-lined campus boasts several landmarks: Swayne Hall (1852); the President’s House (1881); DeForest Chapel (1903), which houses the iconic stained-glass windows by David C. Driskell; and Savery Library (1939), the original home of “The Amistad Series.”

For more information, visit www.talladega.edu.

About Toledo Museum of Art

Recently named the 2025 Best Art Museum in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, the Toledo Museum of Art (TMA) is a beloved cultural institution in Toledo, Ohio, and a global leader in the museum field. Established in 1901, its renowned collection features over 25,000 works, ranging from antiquity to contemporary art, and includes one of the finest collections of glass in the world.

Situated on a 40-acre campus, TMA integrates art into people’s lives through its world-class collection, engaging exhibitions, robust educational programs, and community outreach. 

For more information, visit www.toledomuseum.org.

About Terra Foundation for American Art

The Terra Foundation for American Art expands narratives of American art through our grants, collection, and initiatives. With offices in Chicago and Paris and a collection of more than 750 works of art, we work with organizations to foster intercultural dialogues and encourage transformative practices, locally and globally.

Since 2005, the foundation has awarded grants worldwide to support projects that engage the visual arts of the United States and Indigenous arts of North America, while questioning and broadening understandings of American art and reshaping how its stories are told.

For more information, visit www.terraamericanart.org.

About Art Bridges Foundation

Art Bridges Foundation is the vision of philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton. Founded in 2017, Art Bridges creates and supports projects that share works of American art with communities across the United States and its territories.

“Art Bridges believes everyone deserves access to art, and this joint acquisition allows us to do just that,” Anne Kraybill, CEO of Art Bridges, said. “Through our growing partner network of over 320 museums, we will share ‘The Amistad Series’ with audiences nationwide that might not otherwise have access to them, ensuring these works stay in the public trust while expanding the legacy of Hale A. Woodruff and Talladega College.”

Art Bridges partners with a growing network of over 320 museums of all sizes—impacting 25 million people nationwide—to provide financial and strategic support for exhibitions, collection loans, and programs designed to educate, inspire, and deepen engagement with local communities. The Art Bridges Collection represents an expanding vision of American art from the 19th century to present day and encompasses multiple media and voices.

For more information, visit www.artbridgesfoundation.org.