Bookmarks in the Pages of Life

Bookmarks in the Pages of Life

Bookmarks in the Pages of Life is a collection of illustrations Saar made to accompany short stories by Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), a prolific author whose profoundly impactful works, such as Their Eyes Were Watching God (published in 1937), centers African American struggle and liberation. Saar illustrates Hurston's short stories, which range from courtroom drama to comedic misadventure, set in Harlem and rural Florida from the antebellum to Harlem Renaissance. One of Saar’s prints for the book, The Conscience of the Court, depicts Hurtson's fictional character Laura Lee Kimble, innocent yet on trial in a corrupt legal system. In the back of a courtroom, a large clock looms over Kimble, reflecting an urgency for justice. Through six colorful serigraphs, Saar illustrates the racial struggles that Hurston observed across the United States in her lifetime and throughout the nation's history.

Betye Saar

2000

Artist book

David C. Driskell Center Permanent Collection,
Gift from the Sandra and Lloyd Baccus Collection