What happens when artists are invited to transform white supremacist propaganda into art designed to inspire dialogue to counteract hate? We had the rare opportunity to find out when artists from across the country transformed 4,100 white supremacist hate-filled books into works of art for the Holter Museum of Art in Helena, Montana. Using diverse strategies and media – sculpture, painting, photography, ceramics, and printmaking – the artists tell personal stories, reconfigure ugliness into beauty, reflect on history, juxtapose symbols, offer humor, and share insights. While some artists sensitively expose the consequences of hatred, others model diverse strategies for creatively transforming it. Their impactful art has sparked vital conversations in communities around the country.

The project began in 2003 when a defecting leader of a white supremacist organization offered to sell thousands of copies of the group’s books to the Montana Human Rights Network (MHRN). After distributing 500 copies to researchers across the country, the MHRN was left with mountains of hate-filled volumes. MHRN leaders suggested using the books for an educational art project. While working as the Curator of Education at the Holter Museum of Art, Katie Knight organized a dedicated team of artists, educators, and activists. Together, they invited artists to respond to, integrate, or transform the books into thought-provoking art. Well-known and emerging artists from across the country responded. The exhibition opened at the Holter Museum in 2008, and has toured from coast to coast.

This art is available for exhibition through a partnership between Speaking Volumes Art Action (SVAA) and the Holter Museum of Art. For more information, contact the curator@speakingvolumes.net.