Jan 15, 2026 – Mar 22, 2026
Artist Bio
Charles Eady is a mixed-media artist who merges contemporary art with historical documentation to explore overlooked stories of free Black communities in the pre-Civil War South. Born in South Carolina and now residing in Ocala, Florida, Eady graduated from Claflin University with a BA in Art Education. His work has been featured in both national and international competitions, and he has exhibited in a solo show at the Appleton Museum of Art in Ocala—where his painting American Jockey, depicting an early Black jockey, is now in the permanent collection.
Eady’s painting Anna, named after a character in his book Hidden Freedom, won the 2021 ArtFields Grand Prize; he returned to ArtFields in 2022 as a judge. A former art educator at Belleview High School, Eady was one of only five recipients of the 2022 State Teaching Artist Residency (STAR) at the Hermitage Retreat, honoring exceptional Florida public school art instructors. Through historically grounded visuals, Eady strives to reframe early Southern narratives and foster greater social understanding. He is also an artist in the Puzzled Peace initiative, responding to the removal of African American history from Florida public schools and colleges.
Eady states, “my art is influenced by the population of Blacks who lived free in this country amidst pre-Civil War bondage. Over a decade ago, I heard about ‘free Blacks’ in the South—people counted on the first federal census of South Carolina in 1790, actively petitioning courts and challenging the judicial system—who were not merely passing through with freedom papers. This discovery took me by surprise and contradicted what I thought I knew. My pursuit since then has been to increase awareness of their story and to give the truth of their existence a voice through my art.”
In addition to his art practice, Eady authored Hidden Freedom: The South Before Racism, broadening the conversation about free Black communities and their legacy.
Artist Statement
My art is influenced by the population of Blacks who lived free in this country amidst pre-Civil War bondage.
Over a decade ago, I heard about “free Blacks” being in the pre-Civil War South, who were not merely traveling through with freedom papers. I had never heard of them living in the South and it was shocking. One of my initial findings was that they were counted on the first federal census of South Carolina in 1790.
Inspired to learn more, I began researching their story fifteen years ago and found further support that contradicted what I thought I knew. There were records of them challenging the judicial system and petitioning courts about diverse matters. The deeper I looked, the more evidence I found. Interestingly, there was proof that they preferred to live in the South over the North because they felt living circumstances were better in the South.
My core belief about the South was taken aback. My pursuit since then is to increase people’s awareness of them, and to give the truth of their existence a voice through my art.
Exhibition Introduction
A little-known population of Blacks lived free in this country before the Emancipation Proclamation. This exhibit shares evidence and details of their existence. It presents opportunities to view the realities of their daily lives and seeks to eliminate many misconceptions about Blacks and the South.
The term “free Blacks” was used pre-Civil War to distinguish between people of color who were free, and people of color who were slaves. Free Blacks were free to live, work, and own businesses and property. The first federal census of 1790 revealed an official accounting of their presence. They were listed as “Other Free” or “Free People of Color.” In South Carolina, 1,801 were free on the first census.
Moreover, there were more free Blacks living in the South than the North, a trend that continued until the Civil War. Most chose to live in the South because living conditions were more favorable, and opportunities to own a business and property were more accessible. By 1860, nearly 10,000 free Blacks lived in South Carolina. 500,000 lived in America.
“This exhibit offers attendees the opportunity both to see my art and to hear the stories that inspired them, they will be challenged to reexamine their assumptions about what it meant to be a free Black person in the antebellum South. They will meet entrepreneurs, small business owners, parents, children, people with ingenuity and creativity and compassion who found ways to fashion engaging and expansive lives even in a geographical context of intense oppression. In both seeing these works and hearing about the subjects’ lives, each attendee will be invited to reflect on the possibilities contained within untold and under-told stories, possibilities that can encourage each of us to shift, change . . . “pivot,” pointing us toward deepened appreciation and respect for our common humanity.”
