Our Purpose and Mission

The Revolt1811 Arts and History Gallery is the vision of local visual artist, educator, and community advocate/activist Derron Cook, Sr. Its mission is to create a safe space and learning environment where the arts and history of African Americans and the African diaspora can be shared, nurtured, and cultivated for generations to come. The gallery welcomes all persons from all backgrounds to appreciate, acknowledge, and gain insight into the invaluable contributions the African American community has made in building this nation and the world.

Revolt1811 aims to document, explore, and showcase the African American experience and its impact on American and world history. The gallery's mission is to help all Americans understand how their lives are shaped by African American history and culture, and how American values like resilience, optimism, and spirituality are reflected in it. The collections include art, documents, and material culture from many periods of African American history, including slavery, Reconstruction, and the civil rights movement. The gallery also hosts public programs, symposia, and exhibitions that use interactive media to help visitors explore African American history and culture.

There are four pillars upon which the gallery stands:

1. • Providing opportunities for those interested in African American culture to explore and revel in this history through interactive exhibitions, programs, symposia, and publications.
2. • Helping all Americans see how their stories, histories, and cultures are shaped and informed by global African influences.
3. • Exploring what it means to be an American and sharing how values like resilience, optimism, and spirituality are reflected in African American history and culture.
4. • Exploring how local African Americans in St. John and the River Parishes contributed to the lifestyles and rights of African Americans both locally and abroad.

Founder/Curator Statement

Revolt1811 Arts and History Gallery has been a long-held dream in the making. Since graduating from East St. John High and attending college in Atlanta, GA in 1996, it has been my personal vision to one day curate my own exhibition.

In light of the ongoing protests against police killings of unarmed Black men and women, and combating systemic racism, the Black Lives Matter movement has given me the drive to finally bring this long-existing dream to fruition. The gallery provides an opportunity to not only tell the tragic stories of lives lost at the hands of authority, but also to celebrate the greatness of past generations of Blacks and Africans in America.

This includes spotlighting the story of America's largest slave uprising which took place right here in my community of Woodland - the German Coast Uprising of 1811. It is my honor to teach and continuously learn about the local greatness within our communities, in order to instill a sense of pride as we guide future generations to strive for their own greatness - an inheritance that already lives within them.

Derron Cook, Sr. MFA Art/Film and Media