The History and the Hair Story: 400 Years Without a Comb was a journey through the history of the African American hair industry and its role in our present culture. From its origins in the seat of civilization to the epicenter of the civil rights movement, the comb’s untold story takes the spotlight in this exhibition by way of 400 years’ worth of artifacts, photography, historical accounts, propaganda, and much more. Local African American entrepreneur Dr. Willie L. Morrow, the creator of the California Curl and the first Afro pick comb, presented his extensive collection along with local artists who have been invited to tell their own Hair Story. Curated by Starla Lewis, Professor of Black History at San Diego Mesa College and frequent guest curator and lecturer at the Women’s Museum of California.

View pictures and watch video from our opening reception HERE

Watch KBPS Evening Edition interview Dr. Willie Morrow on his collection HERE

Read an article by the Union Tribune HERE

Learn more by viewing the CATALOG

Also viewed – Information Retrieval: Mediated Memories of Landscapes – a publicly-engaged work, by 2015 Creative Catalyst Fellow Matthew Hebert, explored the ubiquity of technology in almost all aspects of daily life and the myriad ways it impacts our experiences of our physical environments. The work invited viewers to explore its visual and aural renditions of others’ memories of landscapes inflected by technology. More information about the artist at: http://eleetwarez.net/