Between January 29 and March 29, our community is fortunate to view the 37th annual “Meet the Artists” exhibit at the Indianapolis Central Library. Curated by Anthony Radford and supported by the Library’s African American History Committee, the show highlights dozens of local Black artists working in several media, from painting to literature and sculpture.
The highlight of the exhibit, which the Indianapolis Public Library identifies as “one of the city’s premiere cultural events,” was the “Pearl Experience” Gala on February 15, 2025, where one could meet all of the local artists featured in the show.
Well, all but one, that is.
Through his absence, one artist was especially present: Vernon T. Bateman. Bateman’s work is, as Congressman André Carson stated on February 08, “a powerful reflection of his unwavering commitment to social justice, offering both a challenge and a solution to the injustices we face.” Anyone who visits the show will certainly agree, even if they don’t know the story behind Bateman or the three paintings on display there: “In the Belly of the Beast,” “Cookies and Milk,” and “Until the Lion Learn How to Read and Write the Story Will Always be Told from the Hunter’s Perspective.”
Vernon T. Bateman was falsely incarcerated in 1998 and spent decades in prison, many of them in solitary confinement. He learned how to read and write in prison, and his teachers were his fellow inmates.
From isolation units, Bateman wrote, illustrated, and published his five children’s books. From behind bars, he donated five copies of each to the Indianapolis Public Library in 2022. He painted some of the art on display at the Central Library while held captive in solitary confinement. “Cookies and Milk,” for example, took him three years to complete—that’s how long it took him to acquire enough popsicle sticks to make the painting’s frame.
Bateman wasn’t behind bars during the Pearl Experience. He was standing outside in the rain as friends and supporters tried to represent his works inside. Even though he is outside of a physical prison, the state keeps him confined in a social prison through extreme, arbitrary, and unconstitutional parole stipulations.
While Bateman and his family started struggling for his freedom in 1998, over the past year the momentum behind the fight for his exoneration has steadily intensified. With the people’s support, we will truly be able to visit every artist included in the inspiring Central Library showcase at the March 28 Fourth Friday event that closes out the exhibition.
Don’t just celebrate Black artists—free Black artists! Please sign the petition for Vernon’s freedom!
Derek R. Ford
Associate Professor and Chair of Education Studies
319 Harrison Hall
7 E. Larabee St.
Greencastle, IN 46135