4.10 The Black Arts Movement

The Black Arts Movement of the 1960s-1970s was a cultural revolution that empowered Black artists to use their work as a tool for liberation. It unified diverse styles and mediums, drawing from African and African American traditions to uplift and empower Black communities.

Building on the Harlem Renaissance's legacy, the movement emphasized the political dimensions of Black art. It inspired the creation of Black-owned cultural institutions and laid the groundwork for African American Studies programs in universities, legitimizing the field as an academic discipline.

Black Arts movement's influence on 1960s-1970s culture

BAM as political tool for liberation

• Galvanized the work of Black artists, writers, musicians, and dramatists (Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni)
• Envisioned art as a political tool to achieve Black liberation
  • Used art to raise consciousness, promote self-determination, and challenge systemic racism
• Did not espouse a monolithic vision of what Black art should be
  • Embraced diverse styles, forms, and mediums
• Unified by the notion that Black art was distinct in its inspiration, characteristics, and purposes
  • Drew from African and African American cultural traditions, histories, and experiences
  • Aimed to uplift, empower, and liberate Black communities

BAM's connection to Harlem Renaissance

• Created a new political foundation for Black art, similar to the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s
  • Harlem Renaissance proclaimed a new mentality for the "new negro"
  • BAM emphasized the political and social dimensions of Black art
• Emphasized the long tradition of Black cultural production
  • Connected contemporary writers and artists to their forerunners (Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston)
• Celebrated and affirmed Black identity, culture, and aesthetics
  • Rejected Eurocentric standards of beauty and artistic value
  • Embraced Black vernacular, styles, and themes

Black Arts movement's influence on African American Studies

BAM's impact on Black institutions

• Inspired the creation of Black-owned and operated cultural institutions
  • Black magazines (Ebony, Jet)
  • Publishing houses (Broadside Press, Third World Press)
  • Art houses (Studio Museum in Harlem, Black Arts Repertory Theatre/School)
  • Scholarly journals (Journal of Black Poetry, Black World)
• Helped establish some of the earliest African American Studies programs in universities
  • Demonstrated the richness and complexity of Black cultural production
  • Provided a foundation for interdisciplinary study of Black history, culture, and politics
• Flourishing of Black cultural forms during BAM helped to legitimize African American Studies as an academic field
  • Showcased the intellectual and artistic contributions of Black Americans
  • Challenged the marginalization of Black perspectives in traditional academic disciplines

Required Sources

Negro es Bello // by Elizabeth Catlett, 1969

Elizabeth Catlett's artistic expression "Negro es Bello" encapsulates the spirit of the Black is Beautiful movement that emerged in the 1960s. This powerful visual statement affirms Black identity and challenges Eurocentric beauty standards, serving as a rallying cry for cultural pride and self-acceptance among African Americans.

The artwork's significance extends beyond aesthetics, embodying the broader struggle for civil rights and social justice. By celebrating Blackness, Catlett's piece contributes to the ongoing dialogue about representation, empowerment, and the reclamation of African American cultural heritage in the face of systemic oppression and marginalization.