As part of the Spy special coverage of the art exhibition Ruth Starr Rose (1887-1965): Revelations of African American Life in Maryland and the World, we begin with a discussion of Unionville, Maryland, the source of her work and one of the great historic communities on the Eastern Shore.
Founded by eighteen African-Americans after returning to Talbot County at the end of the Civil War in 1865, Unionville still remains today an exceptional close-knit community that inspired Rose both spiritually and artistically while she raised her family at Hope House.
Over the last six months, the Spy interviewed a few current and former Unionville residents to understand the specialness of this small town, and its sister town, Copperville, to capture this powerful sense of community and pride that Rose depicted in her work.
This video is approximately three minutes in length
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