Life of music legend told through pictures

By Taylor Mayad

In conjunction with Deep Ellum’s 150th anniversary, the African American Museum, Dallas will debut two exhibitions, host a community/family event on opening day, and support a panel discussion and book signing at the Nasher Sculpture Center — all to commemorate the enduring significance of Deep Ellum and Central Track. The two exhibitions illuminate Central Track, which connected to Deep Ellum and was once a thriving African American community whose roots date back to the Civil War. Central Track was demolished in the 1940s to make way for North Central Expressway and the I-345 overpass.

Central Track: Crossroads of Deep Ellum focuses primarily on the 1920s and 1930s and features newspaper clippings, archival photographs, posters and recordings of blues, jazz and popular music of the period. Seeing a World Blind Lemon Never Saw presents a photographic series made by Alan Govenar from 2021-2023, exploring rural East Texas and little known places in Dallas, locations Blind Lemon visited or alluded to in his songs. 

Free and open to the public, the exhibitions open Saturday, Nov. 11 and run through May 30, 2024 at the African American Museum, Dallas in historic Fair Park (3536 Grand Ave., Dallas, TX 75210). In conjunction with the exhibition debuts, the Community/Family Day, which also marks 30 years since the museum opened at Fair Park, will be held Saturday, Nov. 11.

Central Track: Crossroads of Deep Ellum and Seeing a World Blind Lemon Never Saw are the fourth and fifth of five exhibitions created and launched by Documentary Arts founder Alan Govenar to honor Deep Ellum’s century-and-a-half milestone. 

Visit aamdallas.org or call 214-565-9026 for more information.

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