Linda and Ed Calhoun:
COLOR CODED
(A Prismatic Translation of Racism and Economic Exploitation)
May 18 - June 12, 2006

Opening reception Thursday, May 18, 6-9pm,
Artist talk at 5:30pm

Hartford, CT—March 27,2006—Real Art Ways will present “Color Coded” by artists Linda and Ed Calhoun from Thursday, May 18 to Monday, June 12, 2006. Color Coded draws a parallel between the United States’ history of outlawing interracial marriages and the current debate over same sex marriage.

The artists will talk about their work at 5:30pm on Thursday, May 18, followed by an opening reception, part of Real Art Ways’ monthly “Creative Cocktail Hour,” from 6 to 9pm. Real Art Ways is located at 56 Arbor Street in the Parkville neighborhood of Hartford. Admission to the Creative Cocktail Hour is $8 (free for Real Art Ways Members). For more information visit www.realartways.org or call 860.232.1006.

At a moment when the legality of marriage is a significant public issue, Linda and Ed Calhoun revisit history. Sixteen states had “anti-miscegenation” laws which were ruled unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court Loving v. State of Virginia decision on June 12, 1967. Each state used distinct and original language for incorporating these laws into their legal codes. Color Coded is a verbatim translation of these laws using a coded alphabet. State slogans serve as the title of each of the sixteen works.

Color Coded is a response to a personally-felt rising tide of the re-acceptance of racism in the United States. Color Coded provides a jumping off point for an unflinching examination into the many layers of our not so distant past, encouraging public dialogue about race and the treatment of minorities.

There also will be a closing reception of Color Coded, on Monday, June 12, 2006 from 6-8pm. The date corresponds to the 39th anniversary of the 1967 Loving v. State of Virginia Supreme Court ruling, which found anti-interracial marriage laws unconstitutional.

Ed and Linda Calhoun are a husband and wife artistic team. Besides their collaborations with one another, each works individually. Linda is a filmmaker, and produced Career Girls, an interactive series of interviews aimed at mentoring women of color. Ed has had several solo shows of his photography and oil paintings in the United State and in France. In addition to his own artistic endeavors, in 2000 he co-founded and curated Hardshare Independent Film Festival (now the Fayetteville International Film Festival).

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