This post highlights the critical work of Black artists who assisted to bring African-American experiences into the elite art world. Black Arts as a motion speaks directly to the needs and aspirations of Black America. The Black artist speaks to the cultural and spiritual needs of Black people in their artistry.
African-American arts represent a cultural movement. It consists of numerous visual artists, performance artists, carvers, writers, artists, and more. The specialists of Black arts are motivated by a desire to face white class structure and assert an African American cultural identity. Black arts aim to serve the community and artists.
Born into slavery, William Hooper Councill founded one of the nation’s first HBCUs, Alabama A&M University. Negotiating the racial politics of Reconstruction and the dawn of Jim Crow was dangerous work. Councill was a peer of Booker T. Washington’s and is remembered for his accommodating stance toward whites. His complicated story helps us understand the times he lived in and the legacy of HBCUs.
Black artists stress racial pride, a gratitude of African heritage, and a dedication to produce works that reflect the culture and experiences of black people. In each era, occasions of the day galvanize black artists to produce, arrange, and transform the world.