Afro-Latinx Art and Activism in the 20th and 21st Centuries

ART

23680

Afro-Latinx Art and Activism in the 20th and 21st Centuries

Over the last century, Afro-diasporic artists in the Americas have continually affirmed the value of their African and Indigenous heritages as sources of inspiration and signs of resistance to the oppressive legacies of colonialism and racism. This course will look at repertoire of tropes and practices that Afro-Latinx artists have employed to visualize Black identity and address the historical subjugation of people of color. Among the questions we will pursue during the semester are: how have constructions of Blackness changed and evolved over time in the Americas; what can we learn from past struggles to advance “Black power” via art and culture; what kinds of artistic projects on behalf of social justice are effective today? Our course begins with a comparative study of the New Negro/Negritude/ Negrismo movements in the 1920 through the 1940s. In Section II of the course, we will look at work by Afro-Latinx artists involved in solidarity movements to liberate nations in Africa and Latin American with a focus art of the Cuban Revolution. Section III will feature an overview of art and activism during Black Power Movement in the United States. We will also take a deep dive into the history of Afro-Latinx artist-run spaces and collectives in New York, California, Chicago, and Texas during the 1970s and 1980s. Our final classes will examine the global impact of the art of Jean Michel Basquiat, survey works created by Afro-Latinx artists for the Columbus Quincentenary in the 1990s, and feature talks with contemporary Afro-Latinx artists involved in groups such as Black Lives Matter, Decolonize this Place, and The Supper Club.

Undergraduate

Yes

038253