Vocabulary & Key Terms:

  • African American
  • Artistic Canon
  • Artistic Medium
  • Black
  • Cultural Capital
  • Federal Arts Project
  • Great Migration
  • Harlem
  • Harlem Renaissance
  • Visual Arts
  • Works Progress Administration (WPA)

Student Context:

Art, music, dance and literature are different ways that people express themselves as individuals. These creative acts can also raise awareness about social and cultural issues in a given time and place. There is a long history of artistic contributions to American life from African and African American/Black people. These contributions to the American Arts canon are appreciated for the quality, beauty and creative expression they each hold. The work allows us through the study of its context and the work of the artists to further understand questions of race, identity, and social change through a range of voices.

Harlem, a neighborhood in New York City, became the “cultural capital” for African American/Black artists from the 1910s through the 1930s, in a period known as the Harlem Renaissance. Art, music, dance and literature all flourished, drawing upon and responding to multiple events and influences, including the community’s shared heritage.  The renaissance was amplified through the hard work and ingenuity of its artists as well as through the financial support of local communities, Black owned business foundations such as the Harmon Foundation and federal projects under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) program. 

The Harlem Renaissance, as one of the major artistic movements in the 20th century, serves as a window to explore the creativity, identity and experiences of African American people living at that time.

Student Context – The Harlem Renaissance