"This publication was produced in conjunction with the exhibition Black Artists in America: From the Great Depression to Civil Rights, on view at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, from October 17, 2021, through January 2, 2022"--Colophon
Bibliographic Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index
Contents:
Foreword and acknowledgments / Kevin Sharp -- Black artists in America : From the Great Depression to Civil Rights -- Augusta Savage in Paris : African themes and the Black female body -- Walter Augustus Simon : abstract expressionist, art educator, and art historian -- Catalogue of the exhibition
Summary:
"This insightful book surveys the varied ways in which Black American artists responded to the political, social, and economic climate of the United States from the time of the Great Depression through the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision. Featuring paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by artists including Jacob Lawrence, Horace Pippin, Augusta Savage, Charles White, Elizabeth Catlett, Norman Lewis, Walter Augustus Simon, Loìˆs Mailou Jones, and more, the book recognizes the contributions Black artists made to Social Realism and abstraction as they debated the role of art in society and community. Black artists played a vital part in midcentury art movements, and the inclusive policies of government programs like the Works Progress Administration brought more of these artists into mainstream circles. Earnestine Jenkins discusses the work of Black artists during this period; the perspective of Black women artists with a focus on the sculpture of Augusta Savage; and the pedagogy of Black American art through the art and teaching of Walter Augustus Simon"--Publisher's description