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Before the Civil Rights Movement, African artists helped shaped advocacy for racial bigotry, racism and Black identity through many artworks especially with abstracted art. Some of the figures during this time were: Jacob Lawrence and Norman Lewis.
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This is the first panel from a series of panels called 'The Migration Series.' It depicts the migration of Blacks to the North during/after World War 1 and the brutality that they faced. I chose it because historically it shows how many of the children were forced into labor without school, lynchings the migrants faced, and overall racial disparity. -
'Harlem Turns White' is an abstract artwork that depicts how gentrification had become a fear for Black people alongside subsequently the erasure of Black culture. Harlem was a historically Black dominated area, and I learned the historical context was that there was an increase in rent, white investors and policies that were harming specifically Black residents. This shows the injustices Black people had to face with gentrification, and I believe was a warning about a loss of identity for them. -
This era saw the rise of Black liberation, coinciding with the Civil Rights Movement where figures like Malcolm X and MLK were inspiring Black artists to create political and community-based art to call out racism and embrace identity. Some mediums used: paintings, poetry, sculptures and photography. Some prominent figures during this time were: Emory Douglas and Barkley Hendricks.
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The cultural/historical context is Douglas was a member of the Black Panthers, a political party that rose to prominence in the 1960s. He illustrated for their papers, and this artwork was a pull-out poster from one of their newspapers. They advocated for the rights of black people. His artwork helped spread visibility for the racial injustices Black people faced. -
This artwork's cultural context is that in art, it often romanticized Eurocentric features and painted them as saint-like figures also. This artwork shows a black woman represented the same way, and I believe challenges the ideals of white-dominated art. The halo shows how she is also being put on the same pedestal. Historically black women weren't given the same treatment and were treated inferior. -
This era came after the Civil Rights Movement. Although there was significant progress for equality for black people, there still were disparities. They had underrepresentation in art, other various media, and were stigmatized during various events (crack epidemic, AIDs epidemic, overall racism). Some prominent figures during this era: Kerry James Marshall and Rotimi Fani-Kayode.
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This artwork historically gave a voice to black queer men during the AIDs epidemic, who were often discarded by society. The artist succumbed to AIDs himself, his artwork helped destigmatize queer black men and give them representation through his photography. I think 'Nothing to lose' title means how they felt as there wasn't any support from anyone. The cultural context is that this photograph series was inspired by Robert Mapplethorpe, but represented Black queer men created by one. -
'Voyager' by Kerry James Marshall criticizes Western art's romanticization and reclaims Black history that has been forgotten/discarded. I believe the ship is to represent the historical context of how many Black people were forced into adapting into Western society because it depicts the Middle Passage. This artwork is critical of how history has been rewritten by a white lens and discards Black people's experiences. -
The current era of black art reaches across the African diaspora and has many more mediums especially with the digital age. There are photography, performance art, film, sculpture, and digital media. The art often covers topics such as intersectionality, activism and representation. Some relevant artists are Simone Leigh and Kerry James Marshall.
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This artwork shows a salon with many people and different background items. The artwork shows cultural significant people/art in Black history. For example, there is a poster of Lauryn Hill and a poster of 'Black is Beautiful'. It is celebratory of Black culture, it also makes a statement on Western beauty standards which is shown by the yellow, blonde female figure in between the two kids. -
This artwork represents how black women were often the backbone to society and community although often ignored. I picked this sculpture because it shows a celebratory recognition of black women and it gives a reclaiming of Black womanhood/girlhood. It also reclaims beauty and representation.