As part of the International African American Museum’s Visions of the South film series, we invite you to join us for a screening in our theater of Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts. Visions of the South is a series of documentaries that complement the museum’s special exhibition, Unsettled Things.

Ticket purchases include complimentary popcorn, refreshments, and snacks. 

Film Synopsis:

Bill Traylor was born around l853, on an Alabama cotton plantation owned by John Traylor, in Dallas County, Alabama, close to the Lowndes County line. Born into slavery, Traylor was about twelve years old when the Civil War ended, and he spent most of his life as a farm laborer, continuing to work and live near his birthplace for another six decades. Like many blacks of his generation, the first generation of African American citizens, Traylor was supposed to farm the land without owning it, know his place, and disappear without leaving footprints. Traylor, however, left a lot more than footprints. At the height of the Great Depression, now in his 70s and too old to farm, he moved to Montgomery to look for work...…

...and there, after a period of doing odd jobs, Bill Traylor found himself homeless, and he began to draw. It is the goal of Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts to continue to put the work of this master artist in the context of his world and to do it before that world completely vanishes. 

IAAM Members receive $5 off the purchase of their tickets. Upon signing into your account, the discount will be applied automatically to your cart.

Date: Saturday, March 1, 2025

Time: 5:30PM – 8:00PM

Museum Location: 14 Wharfside Street, Charleston, SC, 29401

Parking Instructions: Metered parking is available on Concord Street. Paid parking is available at the SC Aquarium Parking Garage (24 Calhoun St, Charleston, SC 29401)