Famous African American Artists

In honor of Black History Month, I decide to spotlight African American artists from back in the day, because who doesn't love to see some good art!

1. Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937)- The Seine c.1902, oil on canvas
Tanner was born in Pittisburgh, Pa where he went on an studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. Tanner had some success in the United States but his art thrived in European countries like France. The painting shows a boat traveling through a pinkish sky through Paris







2. Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000)- Street to Mbari, 1964
Lawrence was born around the time of the Harlem Renaissance, where many black artists gained their fame. Many of Lawrence's paintings are based on the colors of Harlem and can be seen through his dynamic cubism style of painting. This painting shows a busy day in Nigeria, which is based on a visit Lawrence took to Nigeria.

3. Alma Thomas (1891-1978)- Red Rose Cantata, 1973, acrylic on canvas

Thomas started out as a art teacher in Shaw Junior  High School, after graduating from Howard University. Many of her works are described as representational in her earlier works, but abstract in her later works. The abstract painting is canvas way of a describing a cantata, which is a musical composition

Short Documentary on PWIs and HBCUs

I found this very interesting documentary on the differences between HBCUs and PWIs called Blurred Lines: A Short Documentary on HBCUs and PWIs. It has perspectives of African Americans in different age ranges. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did!

Brief History on HBCUS

HBCUS were not always part of America's history. Before the 1860s, there were only three universities that served freed slaves, which were Cheney University, Lincoln University (both are in Pennsylvania) and Wilberforce University. After the Civil War, an act called The First Morrill Act  allowed post secondary (college) education to be available to all citizens, including freed slaves. Then the Freedmen's Bureau was established and helped to set up more school around the South. After the Second Morrill Act was passed, there were around nineteen HBCUs, but there were still issues with the treatment of African American colleges versus the treatment of white colleges. Until  the Plessy vs Ferguson case when the court decided that African Americans should be allowed to have "separate but equal" facilities. Then, many HBCUS, like other resources, struggled during the Great Depression. Not until the Brown vs. Board of Education where African Americans were allowed to attend all white institutions. Now there are over 100 HBCUS that serve a purpose for African Americans.