The Beginnings of Prince Hall Free & Accepted Masonry (F. & A.M.) in Wisconsin: A Lecture Featuring Alan Chancellor

Overview

The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art will present a special lecture titled The Beginnings of Prince Hall Free & Accepted Masonry (F. & A.M.) in Wisconsin, by Alan Chancellor, who is a Free & Accepted Mason in Madison’s Capitol City Lodge No. 2. The lecture takes place on Thursday, January 19, 2023, from 6–7 PM in the Museum Lecture Hall. Admission is free.

Madison’s Capitol City Lodge No. 2, one of eleven lodges belonging to The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge F. & A. M. of Wisconsin, Inc. Capitol City, was established in 1906 as a lodge in the Illinois jurisdiction. Lodge members are dedicated to the pursuit of good works in the community, including contributing to food pantries, raising funds to provide financial assistance to families and educational scholarships to students, and coordinating various aid and community building efforts through local Black churches.

“If there is a need in the community, we respond,” Chancellor says. Prince Hall F. & A. Masons rarely speak publicly about their organization, preferring instead to serve the community quietly. This lecture is a rare opportunity to learn about the organization, its works, and its accomplishments.

The lecture was inspired by the exhibition by Madison-based artist Faisal Abdu’Allah titled DARK MATTER, on view in the Main Galleries through April 2, 2023. The exhibition includes Abdu’Allah’s Prince Hall series (2022), showing larger-than-life photographic portraits of six Capitol City Lodge members printed on tapestries. Abdu’Allah often volunteers to work with local youth alongside Chancellor, a program leader with the Dane County Department of Human Services. Also on view in DARK MATTER is Black Panther Chronicles (2022) drawn from Chancellor’s collection of Marvel comic books from the eponymous series.

Organized by MMoCA’s Education Department, the event is from 5–8 PM, with docent-led tours of DARK MATTER available at 4:45 PM and 5:15 PM. The lecture and tours are admission free.