It was 2020’s shot heard round the world. Like the shots that marked the turning point of the fracas between the American Colonies and Great Britain in 1775, the viral video of George Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020, reverberated across the world. With his last words “I can’t breathe” echoing beyond borders, there was no turning back.
In the wake of Floyd’s death, institutions from every facet of American life made pledges to address racism and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within their walls. Museums and cultural establishments were no exception. Floyd’s death at the hands of police touched off global protests and a wider artistic response. From the performative to the meaningful, Floyd’s death appeared to be a pivotal moment with broader historical significance.
On this fifth anniversary of Floyd’s death, America is in the throes of retraction. In a direct rebuke to the response and progress in the years following Floyd’s death – dismantling of public spaces commemorating the Black Lives Mater movement, shuttering of programs across sectors, and slashes in funding and staffing among institutions focused on diversity, equity and inclusion – the America of May, 25, 2025 is charting a different course. Where does the art world fall in this contemporary reality? Reverberate is a creative conversation. With its universal language that transcends words, the artwork in this exhibition reflects on May 25, 2020, remembers the events that followed, and interrogates how the developments in addressing societal realities around race will weather this moment in time.
Reverberate is the inaugural event for SECLT x McColl Center’s commemoration of the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s death, and the movements, developments and reactivity resulting from May 25, 2020.
ITINERARY OF EVENTS
EDGE & ELEGANCE | THURSDAY, MAY 29, 5 - 7PM
Pairing wine and art with an exclusive, first-access opportunity to collect artwork from SE CLT Gallery’s spring show, Reverberate.
EXHIBITION OPENING | FRIDAY, MAY 30 , 6 - 8 PM
McColl Center | 721 N Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202
