Mason professor's art gives slavery victims a voice

George Mason University’s Fairfax Campus is bedecked with dozens of art pieces, some permanent and some as temporary as the students who pass by them. These works come from both professional and faculty artists as well as aspiring students, giving Patriots free and open access to all types of art. 

Stanley's piece is on display in the Fine Art Gallery until September 20 (photo by Gopi Raghu).

Art work by faculty is on display at the Fine Art Gallery as part of the “School of Art Faculty Exhibition.” One particular work that may catch the eye of Mason students was created by Thomas Stanley, entitled “A Whisper Into Dick’s Ear.” 

The piece, created in 2013, is defined by the artist as “Sound Art.” The sound does not from the artwork itself, however, but from the source of the piece. This is a typographic work that displays an excerpt from the Fairfax County Minute Book that reads:

 “Dick a negro man Slave belonging to George Mason Gent. Being brought before the court on the complaint of his Master for running away & it appearing that he stole goods from Several Persons Ordered that he be set in the Pillory and one of his Ears nailed thereto & cutoff & that the sheriff deliver him to a Constable to be conveyed from Constable to Constable til he is returned to his said Master.” Stanley wrote in an email, “An ad for his apprehension posted in the Virginia Journal described Dick as an ‘artful fellow’ and noted that he ‘beats a drum pretty well.’ As a percussionist and sound artist, I felt an instant affinity for this persecuted man lost in the pages of history.” 

According to Stanley, many of his pieces are dedicated to George Mason IV’s slave, and how he was unfairly treated.

“This man [is] a real person, lacking a last name, who gave his body, specifically his ear, to the cause of Freedom,” Stanley wrote in an email. 

Although the source has some historical significance, Stanley wanted to use the piece as a statement about the future, rather than George Mason’s history or character.

“The piece is about citizenship and the grotesque consequences of its misappropriation,” Stanley wrote. 

Thomas Stanley continues to work with both students and non-university artists. For more information and examples of his work, visit http://musicovermind.org/thomas_stanley.htm. 

This work, and the work of other art faculty members, will be exhibited in the Fine Art Gallery until September 20.