Photos: 'Still Raising Hell: The Art, Activism and Archives of Camille Billops and James V. Hatch'

By Kimber WilliamsSept. 20, 2016

The Billops-Hatch exhibit includes a display of origami butterflies representing deceased black artists — many of whom were friends of the couple — who have ascended from the physical world onto another plane.

The butterflies were constructed from a variety of materials, including copies of 1960s-era Negro Digest journals.

Camille Billops (left) visits the exhibit, drawn from archives she and James Hatch collected over decades.

The exhibition also explores the lives and careers of the dynamic couple and their relationships with other artists.

Featured items in the Emory exhibition include photographs, books, original artwork, play scripts, theater posters, exhibition programs and related ephemera.

James Hatch and Camille Billops talk with Emory professor Hank Klibanoff and Emory University Librarian Yolanda Cooper at the exhibit opening.

James Hatch (second from left) and Camille Billops (far right) talk with Emory professor Hank Klibanoff (left) and Emory University Librarian Yolanda Cooper (second from right) at the exhibit opening.

Emory University Librarian Yolanda Cooper speaks at the exhibit opening.

Randall Burkett curator of African American collections for the Rose Library, raises a toast to James Hatch and Camille Billops.

Randall Burkett (left), curator of African American collections for the Rose Library, raises a toast to James Hatch and Camille Billops after they speak at the exhibit opening.

An opening reception on Thursday, Sept. 15, marked the debut of "Still Raising Hell: The Art, Activism and Archives of Camille Billops and James V. Hatch," the new exhibit at Woodruff Library.

Billops and Hatch were present as attendees explored the exhibit, drawn from items the couple collected over five decades. The Billops-Hatch archives are widely considered to be one of the most important collections of materials related to 20th-century African American theater, art history and African American artists.

The exhibit, which runs through May 14 in the Schatten Gallery, showcases themes related to creativity, social justice and community, art and activism, and the importance of history and memory.

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