Study day: Art of the Harlem Renaissance

About this course

The course places the Harlem Renaissance within the context of the Great Migration and considers how community, education, patronage and modernism shaped its artistic development. It introduces painters, sculptors and photographers including Aaron Douglas, Jacob Lawrence, Augusta Savage and James Van Der Zee, with detailed attention to Lawrence’s Migration and Toussaint Louverture series. The course also considers African American artists beyond Harlem, including Elizabeth Catlett, Charles White, Faith Ringgold and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Teaching combines lectures, PowerPoint slides, question-and-answer discussion, and selected poems or text extracts that situate the period.

What you'll learn

• Discuss the historical context of the Harlem Renaissance
• Describe the work of at least one artist covered on the course
• Explain the role of art in the Harlem Renaissance

Is this course right for you?

The course is suitable for learners at all levels, particularly those seeking to broaden their knowledge of American art. Participation includes following written and verbal information and joining group discussion. The teaching addresses racism directly, including references to lynching and representations of these subjects in art.

• Includes frank discussion and visual representations relating to racism and lynching in the United States

Before you go

• A notebook may be useful for taking notes.
• Books from any reading list may be purchased if desired.
• Attending students receive handouts for further study; PowerPoint slides are not shared.