Chicago and the visual art of the "New Negro Movement," 1925-1940

The New Negro Movement, also referred to as the New Negro Renaissance or Harlem Renaissance, was a blossoming of literature, music, and visual art that took place in northern urban African American communities circa 1925 through the mid-1930s. To date, scholars examining this historical period have largely focused on the Harlem area in New York, hence the popular catchphrase used to describe the times, "the Harlem Renaissance." Certainly, Harlem artists were prolific and the work they produced was significant in the ways in which it conveyed to the public the message of racial uplift and pride in African heritage embedded within the New Negro Movement. Nevertheless, African Americans residing in other major cities, such as Chicago, also were demonstrating significant developments in all aspects of the arts. In my dissertation, "Chicago and the Visual Art of the New Negro Movement, 1920s-1940," I undertake an in-depth examination of the African American visual arts scene in Chicago during this period, and analyze the manner in which the work of Chicago artists fit into the national discourse of the New Negro Movement. The many and varied accomplishments of these artists, coupled with their roles as agents for social change, make them attractive and significant research interests, well deserving of a place in the art history canon. My dissertation will help fill an important gap in the history of American art and of the African American ‘New Negro’ period.