College Football Hall of Fame exhibit celebrates legacy and vibrancy of HBCU marching bands
Historically Black college and university marching bands are taking center stage at Atlanta's College Football Hall of Fame. A new exhibit at the Hall of Fame celebrates the legacy of some of the nation's popular HBCU marching bands.
Atlanta's Morehouse College is one of 15 marching bands selected for the HBCU Battle of the Bands exhibit.
The exhibit features more than 40 large fabric paintings that capture the color, movement, and personality of drum majors and majorettes.
"It's mainly about Black pride, Black excellence, and Black tradition. I had to include Morehouse because they have a huge alumni," artist Keith Duncan said.
The vibrant portraits of the performers who help make HBCU football Saturdays are front and center.
"You see the drum majors. Drum majors is a major part of the band. They're actually the leader of the band, and I wanted to emphasize that," Duncan said.
Duncan became fascinated by the bands after seeing them perform while in college.
"I never attended an HBCU. I did go to LSU. At LSU, we would go over to Southern University. That's when I first saw the battle of the bands at Southern University. It was something that amazed me," Duncan said.
He hopes people walk away knowing more about HBCU bands after visiting the exhibit.
"I teach art to young students. I let them know, yeah, there's pattern, there's movement, there's color, but there's also a history lesson. These institutions were established and formed during the Civil War and after the Civil War," Duncan said.
"It's always a blessing. So I don't take it for granted that we're a part of it," Morehouse College marching band director Dr. Chad Edward Hughes said.
The energy, rhythm, and movement of an HBCU marching band is electrifying.
"It is an artistic melting pot of people coming together from all over the country, from different majors," Hughes said.
Through his art, Duncan captures a tradition that marches on long after the last note.
You can see the exhibit at the College Football Hall of Fame through May 31, 2027.
