On Monday, February 27, President Cathy Young and Connelly Library Director Rick Sieber visited the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence for a reception in honor of Black History Month. The exhibition included a series of prints by Edith Jaffy Kaplan, who attended Moore in the late 1930s, called Voices of the Revolution, which commemorate the victories and struggles of the Civil Rights Movement.
Kaplan attended Moore from 1937–1940. She received an Outstanding Alumni Award in 1973 and an honorary doctorate degree in Fine Arts posthumously in 1996.
Kaplan was the first woman art director for an American advertising agency, at N.W. Ayer and Son, where she worked from 1942 to 1953, managing advertising campaigns for high-profile brands and companies. Outside of advertising, she had a varied career as an artist, teacher, lecturer, freelance graphic designer and community volunteer.
In early February, the State Museum of Pennsylvania sent an inquiry to Moore, seeking images of Kaplan as well as biographical information to be included in the exhibit. Through a combination of the Connelly Library’s research in the archives and assistance from the Registrar and other administrative offices, Sieber was able to provide the necessary information to complete the exhibit.
“I was very honored to receive an invitation and to attend the event,” Sieber said, “Which, in addition to the vibrant art on display, featured rousing speeches by Governor Josh Shapiro, Lt. Governor Austin Davis, Second Lady Blayre Holmes Davis, and Shaunda McDill, and beautiful music by Ashli Rice.”
Moore’s Connelly Library has several sets of the Voices of the Revolution prints in the archives. The State Museum of Pennsylvania presented the exhibition of the original artworks for the Governor’s Residence program, which will be on display there through the spring.
Header image courtesy of Commonwealth Media Services. All other images courtesy of Rick Sieber, Director of Connelly Library.
