Harlem Renaissance

• The Great Migration was the movement of Black Americans from the rural south to cities in the north and west.

• Black Americans sought educational, economic, and cultural opportunities.

• Neighborhood of Harlem developed as a symbol of Black culture. The Harlem Renaissance is an art movement celebrating Black culture and identity.

The visual arts of the Harlem Renaissance celebrated Black beauty, culture, and identity.

Popular culture was dominated by caricatures of Black Americans and blackface minstrelsy shows. The movement of the Harlem Renaissance was meant to counteract these images. It combined elements of African Art with the lived experiences of Black Americans in the U.S.

• Think about what you see/what is being shown.

• Think about what stands out as important.

• Think about the colors that are being used/how the colors makes you feel.

• Think about the context the art was created in.

The Janitor Who Paints by Palmer Hayden

Nightlife by Archibald Motley

I see . . . .

Because I see these things, it tells me that . . .  

One claim I can make about Harlem based on this painting is that . . . 

Art Class by William Johnson

I see . . . .

Because I see these things, it tells me that . . .  

One claim I can make about Harlem based on this painting is that . . . 

What happens to a dream deferred? 

      Does it dry up 

      like a raisin in the sun? 

      Or fester like a sore— 

      And then run? 

      Does it stink like rotten meat? 

      Or crust and sugar over— 

      like a syrupy sweet? 

      Maybe it just sags 

      like a heavy load. 

      Or does it explode?

I, too, sing America. 

I am the darker brother. 

They send me to eat in the kitchen 

When company comes, 

But I laugh, 

And eat well, 

And grow strong. 

Tomorrow, 

I'll be at the table 

When company comes. 

Nobody'll dare 


Say to me, 

"Eat in the kitchen," 

Then. 

Besides, 

They'll see how beautiful I am 

And be ashamed -- 

I, too, am America.

Bessie Smith

• African American Female Blues Singer.

• My nickname is the “Empress of the Blues.”

• Became one of the highest paid African American singers of the Jazz Age

Duke Ellington

• Famous pianist, composer, conductor, and band leader at the height of Jazz and Big Band Music.

Louis Armstrong

• Jazz Musician and trumpet player

• Famous during the Harlem Renaissance

• Nicknamed “Satchmo”

Jacob Lawrence

• African American artist and painter.

• Painted a series about the Great Migration