Broad Exhibit Shows How Sports, Arts and Civil Rights are a Winning Team

Artists and athletes are not always thought to have overlapping similarities. But the latest exhibit at the Michigan State University (MSU) Broad Art Museum examines their shared values. “Resistance Training: Arts, Sports, and Civil Rights,” showcases the intersection of sports and advancement of civil rights in the country.

Athletics at MSU have long been celebrated, especially when it comes to the university’s early progressive stance on racial and social integration. This exhibit takes a deeper look into the personal stories from student athletes and the unique relationship between sports and the arts. Resistance Training is on display now until Feb. 18, 2024.

Interim Director, Director of Curatorial Affairs and Senior Curator Steven L. Bridges said the exhibit has a personal dimension for him, while also including many inspirational Spartan stories.

“As someone who grew up playing many different sports and who cultivated a love of the arts from a young age, these two major pillars of culture have always been intertwined for me,” he said. “The history of athletics at MSU and the many moments, stories and figures that advanced issues of social justice and civil rights through their work was also a key point of inspiration.”

The varsity jacket is a classic image from the sports world shown here as part of the “Resistance Training” exhibit at the MSU Broad Art Museum. (Courtesy photo)

Bridges said the exhibit shines a bright light on the ways many artists and athletes share common values by using their influential status to help advance social justice-related causes. The timing of the display also is symbolic and in celebration of two historical milestones: the 50th anniversary in 2022 of the passing of Title IX legislation and the 60th anniversary of the passing of the Civil Rights Act coming in 2024.

“Both of these legislative decisions enacted anti-discriminatory policies, specifically relating to race, ethnicity and gender (among other things),” Bridges said. “And those topics play important roles in defining the exhibition as well.”

Many of the stories shared through the vessel of art are hyper-local ones. Bridges said MSU’s incredible histories around the subject matter are striking.

He had heard many stories on how racial integration on campus was propelled forward by athletic recruitment in the ’50s and ’60s. But while curating the exhibit, he learned of the more groundbreaking, yet complicated reality.

“Even before that period, MSU (then MAC) welcomed one of the first Black collegiate athletes ever to play in 1913: Gideon Smith. His story was also quite compelling and eye-opening in many ways,” Bridges said. “And then with the passing of Title IX legislation in 1972, so many doors opened to women and, for MSU, many women of color, with so many of them going on to not only become celebrated athletes, but also Olympians and star coaches in their own rights.”

Although the exhibit takes a look back through history, it also focuses on the fact that advocating for these causes is fluid and ongoing.

“The work is never done,” Bridges said. “It seems almost on a monthly basis, we learn of new instances in which athletes and artists are again advancing the conversations around these issues through their respective work (and sometimes collaborations). While much of the show does pull from history, there is also a lot that moves the conversation into the present, and reminds us that these are very much evolving topics that remain important to understand society and the world we live in.”

“Resistance Training” is family-friendly and appropriate for all ages. Various mediums include non-traditional art materials in the form of familiar objects like basketballs, varsity jackets and jerseys. Works by Esmaa Mohamoud, Hank Willis Thomas, Wendy White, Glenn Kaino and Tyrell Winston are included in the exhibit.

Non-traditional art materials are used to form familiar objects like basketballs in the “Resistance Training” exhibit at the MSU Broad Art Museum. (Courtesy photo)

Bridges hopes the immersive experience, by sharing unique local stories that helped progress global movements of change, shines a light on the relationship of arts and sports when it comes to important issues today.

“Most of all, I hope visitors may also be inspired to consider how they might use their own agency, whatever spheres of influence they may have, to enact change for the betterment of society,” he said.

A variety of programming events are planned in coordination with the ongoing exhibit: