BAC Exhibit Commemorates Centennial of Black Sox Scandal
This year marks the 100th Anniversary of the Black Sox scandal when eight Chicago White Sox players threw the 1919 World Series. To commemorate this infamous incident in baseball history, the Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St., hosts artist Thom Ross’ exhibit, “The Black Sox – A Century Later,” in the Simmerling Gallery. The event opens with an artist reception Thurs., June 13, 6 to 9 p.m., and continues through July 21. Admission to the exhibit and reception is free.
The Black Sox scandal shocked the Major League Baseball world when eight members of the Chicago’s South Side team intentionally tried to lose to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money from a gambling syndicate. Although the players were acquitted, they were banned from professional baseball.
“The Black Sox – A Century Later” immortalizes this event with watercolors on paper and acrylics on canvas. The series gives a visual overview of the many different people involved, from the baseball players to the gamblers, team owners and sports writers. Included in the installation is a “Field of Dreams” photo option so show attendees can pose for photos wearing replicas of 1919 Black Sox jerseys and ball caps alongside Shoeless Joe Jackson, Eddie Buck Weaver and Eddie Cicotte. The exhibit will be enhanced with augmented reality, using the phone app RealityX2 to provide further background on the art with just a picture.
Thom Ross is an artist, historian and baseball-fan based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is known for painting, book illustrations, and installation art featuring life-sized cutout figures depicting famous people and historical events. His subjects typically include cowboys and battles in the American Indian Wars. Ross has illustrated over 20 books, including “Baseball: America’s Diamond Mind,” a history of baseball.
For fans of baseball, history and the movies, BACinema will screen “Eight Men Out,” the film chronicling the events of the Black Sox scandal, starring John Cusack, Charlie Sheen, and Christopher Lloyd, Wed., June 19, 7:30 p.m. in the BAC Baffes Theatre. Movie tickets are $6 and can be purchased at the box office, via phone at 773-445-3838, or online at beverlyartcenter.org.
