Edmonia Lewis: Forever Free

Feature Documentary In Development

Mary Edmonia Lewis, America's first successful African American/Native-American sculptor, was an art world superstar and an inspirational figure for the post-Civil War abolitionist movement.

Edmonia Lewis touched the lives of key 19th century historical figures

FILMING AT INTERNATIONAL LOCATIONS

Like Josephine Baker, James Baldwin, Audre Lord and Jimi Hendrix, Lewis left the USA at a crucial point in her career and found creative clarity, artistic growth, and critical acclaim overseas.

• 1846 NEWARK • 1856 NIAGARA FALLS • 1859 OBERLIN • 1864 BOSTON • 1866 ROME • 1873 St. LOUIS • 1876 PHILADEPHIA • 1896 PARIS • 1901 LONDON

SYNOPSIS

Around the time of the Civil War, an orphaned Black/Native American girl shows artistic promise, attends college, survives a brutal mob attack, joins a group of expat White lesbian artists in Rome, becomes an internationally celebrated sculptor, earns a fortune, dies in obscurity, and is rediscovered in the 21st century.

Along the way, Mary Edmonia Lewis touches the lives of Frederick Douglass, Julia Ward Howe, William Lloyd Garrison, Lydia Maria Child, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Brown, President Ulysses S. Grant, Pope Pius IX, and many others. Yet today, much about her life remains a mystery.

BACKGROUND

Fern Cunningham-Terry, Black/Native Sculptor, (2015 interview)

Marilyn Richardson, Art Historian (2021 interview)

RECENT EXHIBITIONS

Baltimore Museum of Art (Edmonia Lewis Exhibit)

Detroit Institute of Arts (Edmonia Lewis Exhibit)

Howard University Gallery of Art (Edmonia Lewis Exhibit)

Interlochen Arts Academy (Edmonia Lewis Opera 2024)

Metropolitan Museum of Art (Edmonia Lewis Exhibit)

Mount Auburn Cemetery (Edmonia Lewis Statue)

Oberlin College (Edmonia Lewis Exhibit)

The Smithsonian American Art Museum (Edmonia Lewis Exhibit)

Filmmaker Roberto Mighty at The Smithsonian Institution with Edmonia Lewis’ controversial statue, “The Death of Cleopatra”

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

Edmonia Lewis’ art combined her Native American and African American heritage with European neoclassicism and Roman Catholic iconography - an original and uniquely American combination.

She didn’t ask permission, she didn’t apologize, she voiced controversial opinions, she used the prejudices of the day to further her ends, and she had little patience for those who would patronize her because she was a woman, Black, Native American, and often wore men’s clothes. It is fitting that Lewis’ Native American name – Suhkuhegarequa, translates to “Wildfire”. - Roberto

DONATE/SUPPORT

Originally conceived in 2015, Edmonia Lewis: Forever Free is currently in development. Funds are urgently needed to bring this project to fruition. Please go to our Contact page for more information. Thank you.

“The Death of Cleopatra” Edmonia Lewis, 1876

FILM DESCRIPTION

“Edmonia Lewis: Forever Free”, a new feature documentary, incorporates modern cinematic storytelling – including mystery story structure, dramatic reenactments, animation, archival images, multiple locations, dream sequences, subjective POV’s, and sweeping shots of sculptural works. Hollywood actors voice the words of renowned historical figures. Diverse scholars weigh in on Lewis’ life and times. Today’s women BIPOC and LGBTQ artists speak to her legacy.

WHY NOW

Through the lens of Lewis' life, "Edmonia Lewis: Forever Free" explores how women artists were ridiculed; exoticism, authenticity, and stereotyping; the world of American LGBTQ expats in 19th century Europe; why history overlooks artists of color; Lewis' attempts to define herself; why she chose Europe over America; and why her story matters today.

FILMMAKER

Roberto Mighty MFA, is an award-winning filmmaker, PBS producer, and multimedia artist. His documentary about Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott's 1950's meeting and romance, “Legacy of Love”, airs seasonally on PBS TV stations, and streams on PBS/WORLD Channel. Roberto also produces, directs and writes “World’s Greatest Cemeteries”, a docu-travel series about history, diversity, and landscape. He has 38 half-hour episodes currently airing/streaming on PBS channels.

In 2022, the US Postal Service issued the Edmonia Lewis stamp, and honored Roberto with an award for his multimedia project about her life and times, "An American in Rome".

His projects include historical films, residencies, and exhibitions at Harvard University, where he has worked with the Nipmuc Native American community since 2011. Roberto's work has been supported by Black Public Media, The National Trust for Historic Preservation, The Institute of Museum and Library Services, The National Association of Latino Independent Producers, and the National Science Foundation.