AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORICAL ART AND DOCUMENT AUCTION AT HESSNEYS

United States of America (Press Release) February 14, 2008 -- An African American Historical Art and Document Auction will be held at Hessney Auction in Geneva, NY on March 1st featuring the Collection of Manet Harrison Fowler, founder of the Mwalimu School of NYC, papers of Lester Granger-longtime Executive Director of the National Urban League, and African Art from Charles Mitchell- U.S. Minister to Liberia in 1932. A rare abolitionist 1st edition of David Walker’s Appeal in Four Articles 1829 will highlight the sale. Manet Harrison Fowler was a Dramatic Soprano who opened the Mwalimu School for the development of African Music and Creative Art in Ft. Worth Texas in the 1920’s and moved it to New York City in the 1930’s. She also was founder of the Texas Chapter of the National Association of Negro Musicians, founder-editor of “The Negro Musician”, and an artist trained at the Chicago Art Institute. She graduated from Tuskegee Institute in 1913, her teacher was George Washington Carver. A photo of Manet, some classmates and Booker T. Washington is in the collection. Over 100 of her watercolors, paintings & pastels- many with essays, letters, photos, and music will be presented. Other items are from her husband Stephen- the founder of the Ft. Worth Colored YMCA, and daughter Manet Helen- the first Black Woman to receive a PHD in Anthropology (Cornell). Lester Granger’s WWI ID, photo, portraits, addresses and articles are included. Among the African Carvings is a West African Ceremonial Stool with a photo of Manet , her husband and the stool in the library of the Mwalimu School. A catalog and photos may be seen at www.hessney.com .