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Encyclopedia > Black Arts Movement

Contents

Overview

The Black Arts Movement is commonly known as the artistic branch of the Black Power movement. This movement was founded in Harlem by writer and activist Amiri Baraka(b. Everett LeRoi Jones), who is arguably its most prominent, important figure.[1]Time Magazine describes the Black Arts Movement as the "single most controversial moment in the history of African-American literature--possibly in American literature as a whole."[2]The Black Arts Repertory Theatre is the key institution of the Black Arts Movement. Amiri Baraka was born Everett LeRoi Jones on October 7, 1934 in Newark, New Jersey. ...


From the beginning of the 1960’s till the beginning of the 1970’s was known as the Black Arts Movement. This movement is also known as “The Artistic Sister of the Black Power Movement” which was the artistic branch of the Black Arts Movement. It stands as the most important time of the African-American literature as a whole because it produced the great power and integrity of literature. This movement inspired blacks to establish ownership of publishing houses, magazines, journals, art institutions and African-American studies within universities. This movement was triggered by the assassination of Malcolm X and was discovered and written by writer and activist Amiri Baraka. Other well-known writers that were involved with this movement included Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, Maya Angelou, and Rosa Grey.


This period in time greatly changed the literature world by portraying different ethnic voices and minorities in the United States. Before this movement was discovered, writers lacked diversity and the ability to express ideas from a minority’s point of view.


Theatre groups, poetry performances, music and dance were centered around this movement and therefore African-Americans were becoming recognized In the area of literature and arts. African-Americans were also able to educate others through different types of expressions and media about cultural differences. The most common form of teaching was through poetry reading. The performances used by the African-Americans were used for political advertisement, organization, and community issues. The Black Arts Movement was spread by the use of newspaper advertisements. The first major arts movement publication was in 1964.


Effects on Society

The Black Arts Movement is often analogous to "the Black Power Movement." The period existed for about a decade, during the mid 1960s up until the mid 1970s. This was a period of controversy and great change in the world of literature. One major reason is that it portrayed differing ethnic voices and minorities in the United States. English literature prior to the Black Arts Movement had been a somewhat exclusive field. Tommie Smith (gold medal) and John Carlos (bronze medal) famously performed the Black Power salute on the 200 m winners podium at the 1968 Olympics. ... Old book bindings at the Merton College library. ... In sociology and in voting theory, a minority is a sub-group that is outnumbered by persons who do not belong to it. ...


Not only were African Americans becoming more recognized in the field of literature, but in all areas of the arts. Theater groups, poetry performances, music and dance were central to the movement. Through different forms of media, African Americans were able to educate others through the expression of cultural differences and viewpoints. In particular, Black poetry readings allowed African Americans to use vernacular dialogues. This was shown in the Harlem Writers Guild which included Black writers such as Maya Angelou and Rosa Guy. These performances were used to express political slogans and as a tool for organization. Theater performances also were used to convey community issues and organizations. The theaters, as well as cultural centers, were based throughout America and were used for community meetings, study groups and film screenings. Newspapers were a major tool in spreading the Black Arts Movement. In 1964, Black Dialogue was published making it the first major Arts movement publication. For other usages see Theatre (disambiguation) Theater (American English) or Theatre (British English and widespread usage among theatre professionals in the US) is that branch of the performing arts concerned with acting out stories in front of an audience using combinations of speech, gesture, music, dance, sound and spectacle &#8212... The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ... Look up Vernacular in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Harlem (disambiguation). ... A slogan is a memorable phrase used in political or commercial context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose. ... A community usually refers to a sociological group in a large place or collections of plant or animal organisms sharing an environment. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ...


The Black Arts Movement, although short, is essential to the history of the United States. It spurred political activism and use of speech throughout every African American community. It allowed African Americans the chance to express their voices in the mass media as well as become involved in communities. Activism, in a general sense, can be described as involvement in action to bring about change, be it social, political, environmental, or other change. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ...


Notes

References Gladney, Marvin. “The Black Arts Movement and Hip-Hop.” Find Articles (2007). 13, Mar. 2007 <http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2 838/is_n2_v29/ai_17534803>. Henry, Joan. “Blacks Art Movement.” (1998). 12, Mar. 2007 <http://www.umich.edu/~eng499/>. Jansen, Mia. “Blacks Arts Movement.” Answers (2005). 12, Mar. 2007 <http://www.answers.com/topic/black-arts-movement>.

  1. ^ See http://www.umich.edu/~eng499/orgs/barts.html
  2. ^ See http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5647

Key Writers and Thinkers of this Movement

(arranged alphabetically)

Maya Angelou (born Marguerite Johnson April 4, 1928[1]) is an American poet, memoirist, actress and an important figure in the American Civil Rights Movement. ... Amiri Baraka was born Everett LeRoi Jones on October 7, 1934 in Newark, New Jersey. ... Gwendolyn Brooks (June 7, 1917 – December 3, 2000) was an award-winning African American woman poet. ... Ed Bullins (born July 2, 1935) is an African American playwright. ... Steve Cannon is A voice over artist supplying radio and television voiceovers. ... ... Yolande Cornelia Nikki Giovanni (born June 7, 1943 in Knoxville, Tennessee) is a legendary Grammy-nominated American poet, activist and author. ... Rosa Cuthbert Guy (born September 1, 1925 in Trinidad) is an American writer who lives in New York. ... Lorraine Hansberry (May 19, 1930 - January 12, 1965) was an American playwright and litigant in the United States Supreme Court case, Hansberry v. ... United Airlines flight 232 UA232,UAL232 (United 232 Heavy) was a scheduled flight operated by United Airlines. ... Ron Karenga (born July 14, 1941), also known as Ron Everett, is an African American author and Marxist political activist. ... Haki R. Madhubuti (born Don Luther Lee on February 23, 1942 in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States) is a renowned African-American author, educator, and poet. ... Larry Neal was born September 5, 1937 in Atlanta, Georgia. ... Sonia Sanchez is an African American poet most often associated with the Black Arts Movement. ... Lorenzo Thomas (August 31, 1944 – July 4, 2005) is an American poet and critic. ... Sarah Wright is an American actress and former model who currently plays the character of Paige Chase in the sitcom Quintuplets. ...

Other Info

A 2005 international exhibition, 'Back to Black - Art, Cinema and the Racial Imaginary', details which are available with the Archives of Whitechapel Art Gallery


A 2006 major conference 'Should Black Art Still Be Beautiful'? Organised by OOM Gallery and Midwest the conference created a forum by examinining the development of contemporary Black cultural practice and its future in Britain. April 1st 2006, New Art Gallery Walsall, UK. Conference was in honour of the late Donald Rodney. Photo of Donald Rodney located at OOM Gallery Archive http://www.oomgallery.net Pogus Caesar is a British artist, television producer and director. ... The Midwest is a common name for a region of the United States of America. ... Donald Rodney (born May 18 1961 - died March 4 1998) was a British artist. ... Donald Rodney (born May 18 1961 - died March 4 1998) was a British artist. ...


Recently redeveloped African and Asian Visual Arts Archive ( [1]) currently located at University of East London (UEL). This archive can be searched through the UEL library site. The University of East London (UEL) is a university in East London. ...


The Arts Council of England's (ACE) decibel initiative produced a summary, Reinventing Britain, in 2003 in association with the Guardian newspaper.


Archive available at Schomburg Centre, NYPL.

External links

  • Black Arts Repertory Theatre/School
  • Black Arts Movement Page at University of Michigan


 

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