Rarely seen pieces and new museum acquisitions partly focusing on black history are the highlights of an exhibit in Kresge Art Museum this week to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

The exhibit - "In Honor of Martin Luther King Jr.: African American Art in the KAM Collection" - will feature 25 pieces, including photographs, paintings and sculptures, many of which address issues of what it means to be a black American.

Many of the pieces in the exhibit are not often displayed because of their sensitivity to light and the environment, said Katie White, the exhibit's curator.

"It is a wonderful opportunity to show things that people don't normally get to see and to tie it in with the campuswide celebration of Martin Luther King," White said.

The exhibit will be showcased in the Works on Paper Gallery and throughout the main gallery.

One of the pieces, called "Memorabilia," is a lithograph by artist Jacob Lawrence. He uses vivid colors to illustrate influential elements in the history of black Americans.

A piece by Benny Andrews is a monoprint and collage called "Denial." The picture shows a shadowy image of a person looking into a window.

"Benny Andrews is an African American artist who will become more well known," White said.

The different pieces are featured in the exhibit either because the piece highlights history or issues relating to blacks or because the piece is the work of a black artist.

"It's an opportunity to show these artists side by side. You can see some themes appear or some interesting juxtapositions," said Julie Thomson, Kresge Art Museum Community Outreach Coordinator.

Many of the artists in the exhibit have worked to further the aims that King laid out, White said.

Tyree Guyton is one such artist who has two pieces in the exhibit. In 1986, he founded Detroit's Heidelberg Project to stop inner-city decay there and continues to work on it today. He has received international recognition for his activism and artwork.