Black Arts Movement

This article is about an arts movement. For the poem, see Black Art (poem).
Black Arts Movement
Nikki Giovanni, a participant in the Black Arts Movement
Years active1965–1975 (approx.)[1]
LocationUnited States
Major figures
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The Black Arts Movement (BAM) was an African-American-led art movement that was active during the 1960s and 1970s.[3] Through activism and art, BAM created new cultural institutions and conveyed a message of black pride.[4] The movement expanded from the accomplishments of artists of the Harlem Renaissance.

Famously referred to by Larry Neal as the "aesthetic and spiritual sister of Black Power",[5] BAM applied these same political ideas to art and literature.[6] and artists found new inspiration in their African heritage as a way to present the black experience in America. Artists such as Aaron Douglas, Hale Woodruff, and Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller pioneered the movement with a distinctly modernist aesthetic.[7] This style influenced the proliferation of African American art during the twentieth century.

The poet and playwright Amiri Baraka is widely recognized as the founder of BAM.[8] In 1965, he established the Black Arts Repertory Theatre School (BART/S) in Harlem.[9] Baraka's example inspired many others to create organizations across the United States.[4] While many of these organizations were short-lived, their work has had a lasting influence. Some still exist, including the National Black Theatre, founded by Barabara Ann Teer in Harlem, New York.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Foster, Hannah (2014-03-21). "The Black Arts Movement (1965-1975)". Black Past. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Salaam, Kaluma. "Historical Overviews of The Black Arts Movement". Department of English, University of Illinois. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  3. ^ Finkelman, Paul, ed. (2009). Encyclopedia of African American History. Vol. 1. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 187. ISBN 9780195167795.
  4. ^ a b Bracey, John H.; Sonia Sanchez; James Edward Smethurst, eds. (2014). SOS – Calling All Black People: A Black Arts Movement Reader. University of Massachusetts Press. p. 7. ISBN 9781625340306. OCLC 960887586.
  5. ^ Neal, Larry (Summer 1968). "The Black Arts Movement". The Drama Review. 12 (4): 29–39. doi:10.2307/1144377. JSTOR 1144377.
  6. ^ Iton, Richard. In Search of the Black Fantastic: Politics and Popular Culture in the Post Civil Rights Era.
  7. ^ Hassan, Salah M. (2011). "Remembering the Black Arts Movement". Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art. 29 (1): 4–7. doi:10.1215/10757163-1496309. ISSN 2152-7792. S2CID 193193496.
  8. ^ Woodard, Komozi (1999). A Nation within a Nation. Chapel Hill and London: The University Of North Carolina Press. doi:10.5149/uncp/9780807847619 (inactive 1 November 2024). ISBN 9780807847619.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  9. ^ Jeyifous, Abiodun (Winter 1974). "Black Critics on Black Theatre in America: An Introduction". The Drama Review. 18 (3): 34–45. doi:10.2307/1144922. JSTOR 1144922.