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Pre-Bidding is open now. The Virtual "Live" Auction will begin at 10 AM Eastern on Saturday, October 19. All bidding will take place online. There will be no in-person bidding at our gallery.
The Murphy Darden Black History Museum Collection Virtual "Live" Auction Saturday, October 19 at 10 AM Eastern Pre-Bidding is Now Open Murphy Darden, Sr. was born in Mississippi in 1928 and later relocated to Kalamazoo in 1948 where he lived out his life as an artist, inventor, and more importantly as a historian who worked to document and share the true black history of this country. His collection ranges from black cowboys, to the Negro Leagues, to the the black heroes of the US military such as the Tuskegee Airmen, and to the ugly history of slavery with documents such as authentic slave sale receipts. We are honored to represent the Darden Family and Mr. Darden's lifelong collection. We acknowledge that collections such as this can stir up many emotions and reactions. Our goal in representing Mr. Darden's collection, his legacy, and his family's wishes is to continue to help Mr. Darden tell his story of the real Black History in our country. Some of these items will create feelings of anger, despair, or even revulsion. Some items will bring back happy memories as well. Regardless of any of our personal feelings on these items, it was Mr. Darden's fervent belief that these items be sold at public auction in the hopes that these items will continue to do the job that he started by telling the stories and educating the world so that these issues are never hidden, forgotten, or repeated. If you feel strongly that some of these items should be destroyed, we would encourage you to instead, buy them and donate them to other museums that may allow others to learn from our past.