"Selma Last Year" collection

1963-1972

The "Selma Last Year" exhibition commemorates the Civil Rights March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, that took place in March 1965. A multimedia show, it was the result of the collaborative work of Bruce Davidson, photographer; Terry Riley, who was responsible for the sound score; and Ken Dewey (Kenneth), who conceived of the idea for the production and handled the recording. The show "Selma Last Year" opened at the First Unitarian Church of Chicago on the first anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery march. It subsequently was exhibited at the annual conference of the Medical Committee for Human Rights, various Chicago Neighborhood Houses, an Outdoor Salute to NAACP Harper Court in Chicago, and the Fourth Annual New York Film Festival at Philharmonic Hall, New York City. The "Selma Last Year" collection documents the background and creation of this multimedia exhibit. The collection encompasses production related documentation as well as articles covering related civil rights activities. There is also some biographical material for Ken Dewey, including a program for a New York State Council on the Arts tribute to Dewey and Donald Harper. The collection contains a list of the photographs, slides and audiotapes used in the exhibit; some financial material detailing expenditures; and correspondence, both congratulatory and requests for the show.