Eric Dixon
WEB Du Bois and Henry Ossawa Tanner
Marker and Digital Work, 2022
This portrait design features two notable figures in the history of African American art. Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937) reached international acclaim for his works and won prizes for his exhibited pieces in the Paris Salon. W.E.B Du Bois (1868-1963) was an eminent author and outspoken critic of racism. The two corresponded throughout the 1920s on African American art and issues of representation in educational institutions.
Lee Payton
Home
digital painting, 2022
The movement of African American artists to Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries inspired the work of Home. The practice of seeking approval from European peers and counterparts and studying in cities like Paris and London was common at the time – as was the belief that in Paris you could succeed and escape forms of racial oppression. In making this work, I wondered what might have happened if an artist like Robert S. Duncanson had decided to travel to Africa rather than Europe. What kind of direction and influence would Duncanson's artwork have had if he had instead returned to Africa like so many of his White contemporaries urged him to do?
Dallas Renfroe
The Great Migration
watercolor and ink pen, 2022
In this work, a man with his head down and arms crossed is making the difficult decision to head North during the Great Migration. During the Great Migration, many African Americans left the South because of racial violence; I wanted to show his sorrow and emotional damage in contrast to the perceived brightness of New Orleans, but also create a sense of hope for the happiness he seeks in Northern cities. Three large cities are highlighted in the work: New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. These are the main destinations African Americans fled to from the South, and the man weighs his final decision and destination.
Jasmine Walk
Duality
acrylic on canvas, 2022
I chose to make a creative response to an excerpt from WEB Du Bois’ “Of Our Spiritual Strivings” in which DuBois refers to the double consciousness of the Black man. He describes how one part of a double mind would long for inclusion and approval while the other would hold hatred toward the group that was actively excluding them. This inspired me because I could personally relate to the sentiment. For the painting, I chose to paint two Black men standing back to back to represent this dual mentality. I chose to include the sea at the bottom of the painting to reference the song at the beginning of Du Bois’ essay. I understood the song to be a reference to the slave trade with the ocean's continuous cries really being the cries of all the people who were stolen from their homes and then treated like they were nothing more than a tool for work. I included the two boats in each of their skin tones to visually tie the men to the journey of those boats on the sea, as well as to the legacy of the enslaved people on those boats.
Exclusion
Majeska Coleman
Every detail at the mercy of my fingers.
A role model for the young Brooklyn Gamin.
An attempt on my livelihood, forever etched in my memory.
Creation of the sublime is God’s gift to me.
The purpose for which I am here.
Yet you deny me knowledge and technical training?
The manifestation of my thoughts, the love offspring of my heart.
No man can place his ignorance and fear on my children.
My creations transcend time and space.
The hue of my skin has no bearing, acts as no gate.
For what is larger than the hope my art inspires?
The soul and consciousness knows that I am more than subpar.
Cast on the other side of the white picket fence.
Separated from the red, white, and blue American Dream.
Excluded from my natural birthright.
Those words, their empty promises:
“All Men Created Equal”, written with all deliberate speed.
Another sold pipe dream, concealed with evil intent.
Fused in the seams.
You may bury the labor of my hands in the dirt to hide your transgressions.
The protection of Elohim,
The power of my bloodline,
The spells in my prayers.
The village from which I was raised envelops me.
No weapon formed against me shall prosper,
The heavy heart can’t fathom their failed attempts.
Through the splendor of my art, I am redeemed.
Art in the Wind
LaAsia Harper
Busy Nights and Busy streets,
Jazz music blaring in the Harlem heat.
Culture centered in a point,
Black celebration of freedom in the club joints.
Billie sings with the white rose tucked in her hair,
Flappers dance in white dresses to the beat.
Love sways in the wind as we dance the night away,
As the music notes touch the sidewalks,
Art moves in the wind.
Langston writes poems about strife,
While Locke says take pride in African culture and life,
Oh, the Harlem Nights.
What a time to be Black.
Seeing smiles instead of tears,
Seeing the migration of our people in order to thrive,
Now watching as my people jive while
Art moves through the wind.
Art being born within the depths of our souls,
Putting pain to paper or even a canvas,
I guess that’s how it looks when Douglas paints our history ―
But it's more than just a period, it's about restoration.
Let freedom ring as the shackles fall off our arms,
Let us drop farming tools and lift every voice,
Oh, the Harlem Nights.
Nights of no more crying, but Black joy
I can see the colors of the wind because...
Art moves with the wind.
Lord, let this wind move us as we reach higher depths.
LaParis Harper
Harlem Renaissance, 2022