Wingate art exhibit shines light on ‘Peanuts’ Franklin

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Franklin, the first Black “Peanuts” character, made his debut in 1968 with a beachside introduction to Charlie Brown. An exhibit celebrating Franklin opens Feb. 10 at Wingate University.

WINGATE – Wingate University is hosting an exhibit featuring the only Black character in the “Peanuts” comic strip.

“Franklin” opens Feb. 10 and will run through April 7 at the Hinson Art Museum. The museum is open weekdays from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. and the exhibit is free and open to the public.

The character debuted in 1968 after California teacher Harriet Glickman wrote “Peanuts” creator Charles Schulz in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4.

“Dear Mr. Schulz,” Glickman wrote. “I’ve been asking myself what I can do to help change those conditions in our society which led to the assassination and which contribute to the vast sea of misunderstanding, hate, fear and violence.” She suggested that he could help promote tolerance and interracial friendship by adding a Black character to his popular comic strip.

Schulz said he had been considering the idea, and that summer Charlie Brown met Franklin at the beach. High-resolution reproductions of original comic strips from the multiday storyline of their meeting are part of the exhibit coming to Wingate, as is correspondence between Glickman and Schulz.

The exhibit will also include display and text panels and character dolls and will tell the story of how Franklin got the last name Armstrong, a nod to JumpStart cartoonist Robb Armstrong.

“We celebrate the Civil Rights Era in February,” said Charlene Bregier, director of the Hinson Art Museum. “My hope is that this piece of history brings understanding of those turbulent times.”
Bregier chose the exhibit not just because February is Black History Month, but because of Wingate students’ fascination with the medium. She said students surveyed during and after Covid about what type of art they found most uplifting responded with cartooning.

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“This includes caricatures, anime and manga,” Bregier said. “With the rise in mental health concerns, it seemed timely to use Hinson Art Museum to bring joy and improve mental health.”

In 2023, the museum hosted a professional cartoonist who gave a talk about the creative process of cartooning. Last year, a caricature artist visited the campus and drew portraits of students, faculty and staff. An exhibit that shined a light on the most successful comic strip ever was the next step – and it can be explored through academic lenses.

“There are so many segues into this interdisciplinary exhibit: English, history, art, psychology, business,” Bregier said.

Between 1950-2000, Schultz drew more than 17,000 comic strips and “Peanuts” was read by 355 million people and made the cover of Time magazine in 1965. Schulz became the highest-paid and most read cartoonist of all time.

“Through his simple style of drawing, he turned our fears and thoughts into laughter,” Bregier said. “Through licensing deals, his characters are seen on everything from tennis shoes and sweatshirts to the Goodyear Blimp and theme parks across the globe.”

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