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When you
buy any of the following books from the Barnes and Noble.com web
site using the links, your purchase will benefit the Minnesota Humanities
Commission.
African
American Art and Imagery
African
American Art on the Internet
A useful Long Island University, B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library,
listing of recommended internet resources on African and African
American art.
Driskell,
David C. Two Centuries of Black American Art.
Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1976.
 Harlem
Renaissance: Art of Black America. New York: The Studio
Museum in Harlem, 1994.
Powell,
Richard J. Black Art and Culture in the 20th Century. London:
Thames and Hudson, 1997 (World of Art).
 Rhapsodies
in Black: Art of the Harlem Renaissance.
Berkeley, University of California Press & Hayward Gallery, the
Institute of International Visual Arts, 1997.
In addition to the catalog, a
limited but good web site was created as part of this exhibition.
That has a link to an archive not yet transcribed of an accompanying
exhibition's tapes for Dialogues across the Black Atlantic housed
at the IVA.
A
Stronger Soul within a Finer Frame: Portraying African-Americans
in the Black Renaissance. Minneapolis: University Art Museum,
University of Minnesota, 1990.
Breaking
Racial Barriers: African Americans in the Harmon Foundation Collection,
online exhibit
Paintings from a 1944-1954 traveling exhibition entitled "Portraits
of Outstanding Americans of Negro Origin," now in the collection
of the National Portrait Gallery.
Art
Theory and Miscellaneous Art Resources
Arnheim, Rudolf.
 Art
and Visual Perception: A Psychology of the Creative Eye.
Revised ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004.
A good resource for teachers to learn about visual thinking and
how abstract art works.
Arts
ConnectEd
This web site was created for Minnesota K-12 teachers and makes
use of The Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Walker resources. It
allows you to create "galleries" of images from the collections
with text that students can view on the web.
Barnet, Sylvan.
 A
Short Guide to Writing About Art. 7th edition. New York:
Longman, 2003.
Barnet provides useful guides that teachers can convey to students
or have high school students read in snippets about how to ask good
questions about works of art in various media, abstract art, etc.
Panofsky,
Erwin.  Studies
in Iconology: Humanistic Themes in the Art of the Renaissance.
Westview Press, 1972.
This is the classic text on how to read signs and symbols in works
of art relative to cultural norms and innovations. He sets forth
his method in the first chapter and a teacher can summarize it and
teach it to students studying portraiture or other forms of art.
The
Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery web site
Includes the Catalog of American Portraits.
West, Shearer.
 Portraiture.
London: Cambridge University Press, 2004 (Oxford History of Art
series).
Harlem
Renaissance
Baker, Houston
A., Jr.  Modernism
and the Harlem Renaissance. Chicago: The University of Chicago
Press, 1987.
The
Kenyon College "North by South: The African Great Migration"
web site
This is an excellent resource for material and ways of thinking
about how northern, urban, African American culture in various locations,
including in Harlem, was shaped by specific, southern sources. High
school teachers have found this very useful for students to use
on early 20thcentury African American culture.
Harlem
1900-1940: An African American Community
Web site by The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
Features an online exhibition with suggested teaching strategies
for teaching the material.
Histories
of American Art, Modern Art and Abstract Expressionism
Arnason, H. H.
 History
of Modern Art. 5th ed. Prentice Hall, 2004.
A major, standard survey of European and American art from about
1880 to recent times.
Gibson, Ann
Eden.  Abstract
Expressionism: Other Politics. New Haven: Yale University
Press, 1997.
This book examined the artists who created art much like Abstract
Expressionism but who tended to be marginalized by critics and ignored
in the early histories of the movement.
Pohl, Franics
K.  Framing
America: A Social History of American Art. New York: Thames
& Hudson, 2002.
A good, multi-dimensional survey of American art.
Sandler, Irving.
The Triumph of American Painting: A History of Abstract Expressionism.
New York: Praeger, 1970.
The first history of Abstract Expressionism and one of the more
comprehensive ones.
African
Diaspora and Identity
Gilroy, Paul.  The
Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double-Consciousness. Harvard
University Press, 1995.
Kelley, Robin,
D. G.  Freedom
Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination. Beacon Press, 2003.
Swarns, Rachel
L. An
Issue of Identity. The New York Times Upfront, December 13,
2004.
Books
by and about African Americans in Europe
In chronological (historical, not date of publication) order.
Suggested and annotated by Michelle M. Wright, Macalester College
Department of English.
Washington,
Booker T. The Man Farthest Down. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction,
1984.
Written around 1910, this is Booker T. Washington's sociological
study on class and labor hierarchies in Europe. Written on a level
that both advanced middle school and high school students can understand,
but definitely too dry for long reads. I find it useful to use it
to discuss Washington and the ways in which class discrimination,
gender discrimination and racial discrimination can often parallel
one another, as Washington's argument is very clear and intelligent.
This study is also an interesting look into the rather miserable
lives of European peasantry at the turn of the century, something
most Americans are never educated on. Washington argues that European
peasants are worse off than sharecropping blacks in the South, which
makes for a great class debate.
Terrell, Mary
Church. A Colored Woman in a White World. New York: G.K.
Hall & Co., 1996.
Mary Church Terrell is a famous late nineteenth, twentieth-century
feminist activist and educator, most famous for founding the M Street
School in Washington, D.C. This book chronicles much of her life,
with only a few sections devoted to Europe. The prose is straightforward,
and the sections on Europe are an interesting and rare glimpse into
the experience of an upper middle-class, well-educated black woman.
Terrell provides us with a wide variety of encounters, often noting
how it was white American tourists, not white Europeans, from whom
she suffered racist treatment. Terrell is not without her own class
prejudices, however, and this also makes for interesting class discussion.
Du Bois, W.E.B.
 Dark
Princess: A Romance. Jackson: University of Mississippi
Press, 1995.
Written in the late 1920s, this rather imaginative novels chronicles
the fortunes of Matthew Townes, a brilliant medical student who
leaves the U.S. because of racism, then meets and falls in love
wit Indian Princess Kautilya, who heads an international organization
of people of color seeking liberation from Western colonialism.
Matthew convinces them that African Americans are also committed
to liberating themselves from the yoke of white racism, and he returns
to the U.S. to help start the revolution. The only scenes, albeit
famous ones, that take place in Europe are early ones that narrate
Matthew and Kautilya's initial encounters in Berlin, Germany. I
often use these sections to compare and contrast against Mary Church
Terrell's recollection of her experiences in Berlin.
McKay, Claude.
 Banjo.
The X Press, 1990.
Written in the late 1920s, this book chronicles the lives of blacks
from all over the Diaspora: Africa, the Caribbean, and North America,
living in the slums of Marseilles. The characters all have several
affairs with different women, but the prose is not very explicit.
McKay explores the different opinions different blacks will have
about racism, whites, black culture and the future, which can make
a great text for discussion.
Baldwin, James.
 Notes
of a Native Son. Boston: Beacon Press, 1984.
A collection of book reviews and essays written not too long after
Baldwin arrived in Paris in the late 1940s. His review of Richard
Wright's Native Son ("Everybody's Protest Novel") is good
for a high school class comparing these two authors. Not all the
essays are easy for high school students to follow, so you have
to pick and choose, and Baldwin is often so subtle and complex in
his imagery and arguments.
Wright, Richard.
 Pagan
Spain. New York: HarperPerennial, 1995.
Written in the mid 1950s, this travelogue follows Wright on his
journey through Spain, which is entering its second decade of fascist
rule under Franco. Wright describes everything from bullfights to
the intense Catholicism and cult of the Black Madonna. Wright wants
to write about Spain rather than his experience as a black man in
Spain, so only a few sections are relevant to this list. As always,
he is a very engaging writer with a lively and easily understood
style.
Along This
Way: The Autobiography of James Weldon Johnson. New York: Viking
Press, 1961.
As far as I know, this book is out of print, but it is fairly easy
to order a used copy online. There are only sections of this book
that detail Johnson in Europe, so it works as a nice companion if
you are reading some of his fiction. Very straightforward, easy
to follow, often emphasizing how Europeans made him feel at home
and welcomed during his travels.
Carter, Vincent
O. The Bern Book. New York: The John Day Company, 1973.
Also out of print, and a bit harder to find online. Carter was an
obscure African American novelist and "failed" scholar
(as far as I am aware he never completed his studies in European
philosophy), and this book narrates his years in Bern, Switzerland.
The language and frequent philosophical references are too dry and
difficult for elementary, middle school and high school students,
but there are many interesting (and clearly written) episodes where
Carter discusses the racism he encountered and/or the way he was
viewed as a highly curious and exotic object by the Swiss, who were
unused to seeing blacks in their country.
My Life of
Absurdity: The Late Years. The Autobiography of Chester Himes.
New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 1976.
The majority of this autobiography narrates Himes' life in Europe.
In keeping with his fictive writing style, the text is very explicit
in its sexual descriptions, and is in general adult in its themes
and language. There are sections, however, where Himes discusses
the black expatriate community in Paris, including various encounters
and intrigues between and including Richard Wright, James Baldwin,
and Ollie Harrington.
Colter, Cyrus.
 City
of Light. Northwestern University Press, 1998.
A satirical novel by a contemporary author that would most likely
prove boring or at least annoying in its style to even high school
students, perhaps with the exception of those at the Ap level. The
novel tells the story of Paul Kessey, a light-skinned, upper class
African American who goes to Paris in search of a black intellectual
community. Along the way Paul has an adulterous affair with a married
Frenchwoman, and meets a range of African and African-American characters
who offer him both questions and answers.
Williams, John
A.  Clifford's
Blues. Coffee House Press, 1999.
The fictional story of Clifford Pepperidge, a black gay jazz musician
who finds himself in Dachau concentration camp just at the beginning
of Hitler's reign. Sex and violence are explicitly depicted, making
this text unsuitable to teach at the high school level, but the
topic of discussion is so rare, I wanted to list it and let you
know it's out there.
Youngblood,
Shay.  Black
Girl in Paris. Riverhead Trade, 2001.
References
and Collections about African Americans Abroad
Suggested and annotated by Michelle M. Wright, Macalester College
Department of English.
Coles, Robert
and Graham Russell Hodges, Ed.  Black
Writers Abroad: A Study of Black American Writers in Europe and
Africa. Taylor & Francis, Inc, 1999.
Fabre, Michael.
 From
Harlem to Paris: Black American Writers in France, 1840-1980.
University of Illinois Press, 1994.
Perhaps a bit too complicated for even high school students, but
I am not sure. A very comprehensive collection of mini-biographies
on black expatriate writers in Paris, mostly those from the 1950s.
The book is explicit in its dealings with sex and sexuality, but
easily the most detailed and well-researched collection on black
writers in France.
Griffin, Farah
J., and Cheryl Fish, Eds.  A
Stranger in the Village: Two Centuries of African-American Travel
Writing. Beacon Press, 1998.
Pretty much what the title says: a collection of excerpts by African
Americans from the nineteenth century to today who traveled all
over the world. A really great collection from famous and not-so
famous travelers like Booker T. Washington, Jessie Fauset, and Ntozake
Shange. This anthology is a great companion for any survey class
on African American culture, literature and/or history. It should
be noted that the title is a misquotation from an essay by James
Baldwin; the actual title is "Stranger in the Village",
which is great fun to discuss with older students (like high school)
after having read the essay by Baldwin.
Lusane, Clarence.
 Hitler's
Black Victims: The Historical Experience of Afro-Germans, European
Blacks, Africans and African Americans in the Nazi Era.
Taylor & Francis, Inc. 2003.
Fascinating and rare accounts of black experiences with Nazism,
from those incarcerated in the death camps to those who liberated
them. The accounts are not so explicit or detailed that students
would find them disturbing, but the language is at high school level.
Stovall, Tyler.
"Harlem
Sur-Seine: Building an African American Diasporic Community in
Paris." Stanford Electronic Humanities Review, vol 5.2,
1997, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
Stovall, Tyler.
Paris Noir. Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
This is the most recent and comprehensive history on African Americans
in Paris, beginning with nineteenth century abolitionists and biracial
Creoles (who traveled for political and educational purposes respectively),
and ending with the contemporary expatriate community. The prose
style is probably too difficult for anyone except high school juniors
and seniors, but it is an invaluable resource for teachers.
Anderson, Christiann
and Monique Y. Wells.  Paris
Reflections: Walks through African-American Paris. The McDonald
& Woodward Publishing Company, 2002.
Related
Lesson Plans
Object
in Focus: Beauford Delaney's Untitled
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts' Teaching the Arts Online Newsletter
Includes "key ideas" for examining this Delaney painting
that is a part of the MIA collection as well as related activities.
Wanted:
A New Friend (exploring self-portraiture)
written for grades K-4
This lesson uses the book Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me?
I Mean It!) Going to Move to explore self-portraiture.
I've
Just Seen a Face: Portraits
written for Grades 3-5
This lesson is designed to help students examine society's compulsion
to capture the human in image and words.
Famous
African American Artists: Henry Ossawa Tanner
written for grades 5-6
This lesson explores Tanner's life, the political and cultural climate
in which he lived, as well as other African American expatriate
artists.
Richard
Wright
written for grades 9-10
The lesson examines the time period during which Richard Wright
lived and worked; discusses the factors that influenced Wright's
life and work; and explores the lives of expatriates living in Europe.
What
Portraits Reveal
written for Grades 9-12
This lesson is designed to help students recognize that portraits,
whether paintings or photographs, can tell us more about people
of the past than just what they looked like.
A
Harlem Renaissance Retrospective: Connecting Art, Music, Dance and
Poetry
written for grades 9-12
In this lesson, students conduct Internet research, work with an
interactive Venn diagram tool, and create a museum exhibit that
highlights the work of selected artists, musicians, and poets of
the Harlem Renaissance. Critical thinking, creativity, and interdiscipl
inary connections are emphasized.
Jacob
Lawrence: Storyteller
This series of three interdisciplinary lessons touches upon the
ways in which artist Jacob Lawrence tells stories. It encourages
students to think, write, research, and create their own works based
on what they learn. Lessons incorporate Lawrence's paintings of
Harriet Tubman and the Great Migration as well as self-portraiture.
African
American Art: A Los Angeles Legacy
Uses four works of art by artists from the Los Angeles area (two
are contemporary) to explore themes such as cultural heritage and
artists' selection of subject matter, the concept of style, and
how artists, art critics, and art historians influence one another.
Romare
Bearden: Let's Walk The Block
See Harlem street life through the eyes and imagination of Romare
Bearden in a special educational feature on the Metropolitan Museum
of Art web site. This exploration of his famous collage, The
Block, includes a guided tour, music by the Branford Marsalis
Quartet, and activities designed for kids, parents, and teachers.
Lesson
Plans and Ideas Created for or as a Result of this Seminar
Some
Ideas about Making Use of Portraiture & Abstraction in Classrooms
Developed by Matthew Rohn, St. Olaf College
Suggestions and guidance for using portraits in the classroom for
both art and history/social studies classes.
Expressive
Portraits: Finding Your Identity
Developed by Jennifer Olson, Gage Elementary School, Rochester
Grades 4-5
A self-portrait lesson using artists and images of the Harlem Renaissance,
particularly Beauford Delaney.
The
Portraits of Beauford Delaney
Developed by Mindy P. Sundberg, St. Paul Public Schools
This series of lesson plans focuses on portrait paintings, Beauford
Delaney's portrait paintings, and the student creation of a self-portrait.
Biographical
Information About Beauford Delaney
Leeming, David. Amazing Grace: A Life of Beauford Delaney.
Oxford University Press, 1997.
Full
book text is online at no cost to reader.
A
Tale of Two Brothers, by Jack Neely
Brief article about Beauford and Joseph Delaney, brothers who were
both artists.
Hidden
Treasures: Beauford and Joseph Delaney of Knoxville, Tennessee,
by Sandra C. Walker
Leeming, David.
James Baldwin: A Biography. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1994.
Whatever
Happened to Beauford Delaney, article by Eleanor Heartney
Information
about Delaney Exhibits
Canterbury, Patricia Sue.  Beauford
Delaney: From New York to Paris. Minneapolis Institute of
Arts, 2005.
"Beauford
Delaney: The Color Yellow" Exhibit, 2002
http://www.africana.com/articles/daily/ar20020417glow.asp
http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu/press/released2003/Delany.html
Powell, Richard
J. Beauford Delaney: The Color Yellow. High Museum of Art,
Atlanta, GA, 2001.
"An
Artistic Friendship: Beauford Delaney and Lawrence Calcagno"
Exhibit, 2001
Robinson, Joyce. Artistic Friendship: Beauford DeLaney and Lawrence
Calcagno. Palmer Museum of Art, 2001.
"Explorations
in the City of Light: African-American Artists in Paris, 1945 -
1965" Exhibit, 1996
"Beauford
Delaney, a Retrospective." Campbell Studio Museum in Harlem,
1978.
Where
to See Delaney's Art on the Web
The
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Includes exhibit information and a number of Delaney paintings divided
into the New York and Paris years (also included in links below).
Dark
Rapture, 1941
Greene
Street, 1940
Exchange
Place, 1943
Self-Portrait,
1944
Portrait
of James Baldwin, 1945
Portrait
of James Baldwin, 1945 (Scroll down the page)
Still
Life with Pears, 1946
Jazz
Quartet, 1946
Greene
Street, 1946
Can
Fire in the Park, c. 1946
Unititled,
1947
Washington
Square, 1948
Washington
Square, 1949
Self-Portrait,
Yaddo, 1950
Marian
Anderson, Greenwich Village,
1951
Washington
Square, 1952
Distant
Horizons, 1952
Chartres,
1954 (Scroll down the page)
Untitled,
1954
Untitled,
1954
Portrait
of Henry Miller, n.d. (before 1955)
Abstract
Composition, 1955 (Enter keyword "Beauford Delaney")
Untitled,
1956
Untitled,
1956
Untitled,
late 1950s
Untitled,
late 1950s
Untitled,
late 1950s
Untitled,
1958-59
Untitled,
1959
Ciel
(Sky), 1960 (Enter keyword "Beauford Delaney")
Clamart
Red, 1960
Untitled,
1960
Untitled,
1960
Untitled,
1961
Untitled,
1961
Self
Portrait, 1962
Portrait
of James Baldwin, 1963
Delia
Delaney, ca. 1963 (Image in black and white, within text of
biographical information about the Delaney family.)
Abstraction
III, 1964
Untitled,
1964
Marian
Anderson, 1965
Untitled,
1965
Untitled,
c. 1965
Portrait
of Richard A. Long, 1965
Portrait
of David Leeming, 1966
The
Sage Black (James Baldwin), 1967
Portrait
of Ella Fitzgerald, 1968
Portrait
of Marian Anderson, n.d. (Image in black and white, within text
of biographical information about the Delaney family.)
Untitled,
n.d.
Untitled,
n.d.
Untitled,
n.d.
Untitled,
n.d. (Image in black and white, within text of biographical information
about the Delaney family.)
Untitled,
n.d. (Image in black and white, within text of biographical information
about the Delaney family.)
Abstraction,
n.d.
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