A guided tour honors activists, artists and other influential leaders

Visitors to the Dayton Art Institute can learn more about the people behind William H. Johnson’s bold portraits during a special guided tour Saturday, Aug. 8. 

The museum will offer a one-hour tour of “Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice” from 1 to 2 p.m. The exhibition brings together 34 paintings from Johnson’s “Fighters for Freedom” series for the first time since 1946. 

Created during the mid-1940s, the series honors African American activists, scientists, teachers and performers, along with international leaders who worked toward peace. Familiar figures such as Harriet Tubman, George Washington Carver, Marian Anderson and Mohandas Gandhi appear alongside people whose contributions may be less widely known, including educator Nannie Helen Burroughs and composer William Grant Still. 

Johnson, an artist associated with the Harlem Renaissance, lived and worked across the United States, Europe and North Africa. “Fighters for Freedom” became his final body of work. Through bright colors, simplified figures and layered historical imagery, the paintings recognize individual achievement while also confronting racism, violence and oppression. 

The exhibition is organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, which holds the paintings in its collection. Its stop in Dayton gives local visitors a rare opportunity to see the complete series together rather than encountering the works individually. 

During the Aug. 8 tour, guests will be guided through the special exhibition gallery and learn more about the stories and symbolism within Johnson’s work. The tour is free for museum members and included with general admission for nonmembers. Registration is required. 

Additional guided tours will be offered Aug. 22 and Sept. 12. The exhibition will remain on view through Sept. 13. 

The Dayton Art Institute is located at 456 Belmonte Park North. More information and registration are available through the museum’s website.