Freedom Riders

By Jenny Holzer

About

The artwork

Freedom Riders is a richly layered text-based painting that incorporates FBI files on the Civil Rights-era Freedom Riders, as well as civil rights activists who expanded the freedoms of Black Americans to travel through the United States and legitimized the use of nonviolent direct action. Holzer transforms this record of surveillance into a tribute to the Freedom Riders’ remarkable courage and achievement.

Location: Museum | Sky Room Vista

The artist

Jenny Holzer is a conceptual artist known for text-based works presented in public space. Her practice examines how language functions — how it communicates, obscures, and shapes power. Over the course of her career, she has worked across media including installation, projection, and print. Holzer studied at the University of Chicago, Ohio University, and the Rhode Island School of Design. She lives and works in New York.

The image is a photographed portrait of Jenny Holzer. The image is in black and white. Jenny has a pale complexion and long dark hair. She is looking off into the distance and touching her hair with her left hand. She is wearing a black jacket with a silver zipper that is zipped up to her neck.
Credit: Photo by Nanda Lanfranco

Explore More

  • Hear From Jenny Holzer

    Check out the Obama Presidential Center audio guide to hear artist Jenny Holzer explain how her shimmering, layered painting uses declassified government documents to honor the incredible courage of the Freedom Riders.

    Listen Now (Opens in a new tab)

  • The Sky Room

    Head to the top of the Museum to the Sky Room, a majestic, awe-inspiring space that features panoramic views of the South Side of Chicago and art by Idris Khan, Jenny Holzer, and Carrie Mae Weems’ The Cool Blue Wind . 

    Learn More

  • Voices of the Freedom Riders

    Journey back in time and hear from the brave activists who traversed the American South in the pursuit of equality and justice. 

    Learn More