By Tia Dryer
For a considerable time, the Studio Museum in Harlem was the only significant cultural establishment for art by American artists of African descent. It is still one of the most significant museums in New York, and in the world , for art that chronicles the African-American experience, poignantly though not exclusively in urban environments. The work demonstrated here includes African-American works and 20th Century Afro-Caribbean pieces, as well as conventional African artifacts and art. The social aspect of art is clearly on show in the permanent collection of the Studio Museum, as well as a consistent theme of hunting for the African identity in an American context.
The Studio Museum has gathered a incredible amount of recognition from the community of museums in New York City, in total due to its Artists in Residence program, which permits several emerging studio and gallery artists of African descent to dwell on location while they create. This allows the artists to do their artwork, network with members of the community and begin successful careers as artists. Additionally, the museum serves as a center for the Harlem arts community by hosting panels, dialogues, lectures, classes and performances on a wide range of subjects related to the African-American experience.
Located on 125th St, a little more than a dozen blocks north of Central Park in Harlem, the Studio Museum is very much an organic product of its location. This Harlem museum is close to numerous other famous locales, including the legendary Apollo Theater. Down the way, the NY Public Libraryis a few blocks east, and there are also a considerable number of parks, including the Morningstar Park and Central Park. The location itself is a ground-breaking landmark, full of plaques and notes of significance. Once a ghetto for liberated slaves and people fleeing the repressive Jim Crow laws in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Harlem changed into a cultural treasure throughout the 1920s and continues to play a vital role in African-American culture.
The permanent collection of the Studio Museum in Harlem is composed of over 1,600 works by noted African-American artists, both in the Harlem community and throughout country. These artists, including Robert Colescott, Melvin Edwards, Terry Adkins, Norman Lewis, Hector Hyppolite, Lois Mailou Jones, Betye Saar, Nari Ward and others have definitely had an impact on the art world as well as throughout the larger African-American community. The basic theme of all the work within this museum is the Black identity; the museum is a very important and interesting location for anyone with an abiding interest in American history to go visit and take in. Particular themes include black liberation politics, dance, expressionism, roots and music, as well as the subjects of racism, sexism and the urban experience. These subjects may be questionable to some visitors, but they represent a timely, important discussion within the wider American culture about the roles, perceptions and expectations of African-Americans in it, and it's one of many significant museums in N. Y to find out about a selection of ideas, both old and new.
The Studio Museum has gathered a incredible amount of recognition from the community of museums in New York City, in total due to its Artists in Residence program, which permits several emerging studio and gallery artists of African descent to dwell on location while they create. This allows the artists to do their artwork, network with members of the community and begin successful careers as artists. Additionally, the museum serves as a center for the Harlem arts community by hosting panels, dialogues, lectures, classes and performances on a wide range of subjects related to the African-American experience.
Located on 125th St, a little more than a dozen blocks north of Central Park in Harlem, the Studio Museum is very much an organic product of its location. This Harlem museum is close to numerous other famous locales, including the legendary Apollo Theater. Down the way, the NY Public Libraryis a few blocks east, and there are also a considerable number of parks, including the Morningstar Park and Central Park. The location itself is a ground-breaking landmark, full of plaques and notes of significance. Once a ghetto for liberated slaves and people fleeing the repressive Jim Crow laws in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Harlem changed into a cultural treasure throughout the 1920s and continues to play a vital role in African-American culture.
The permanent collection of the Studio Museum in Harlem is composed of over 1,600 works by noted African-American artists, both in the Harlem community and throughout country. These artists, including Robert Colescott, Melvin Edwards, Terry Adkins, Norman Lewis, Hector Hyppolite, Lois Mailou Jones, Betye Saar, Nari Ward and others have definitely had an impact on the art world as well as throughout the larger African-American community. The basic theme of all the work within this museum is the Black identity; the museum is a very important and interesting location for anyone with an abiding interest in American history to go visit and take in. Particular themes include black liberation politics, dance, expressionism, roots and music, as well as the subjects of racism, sexism and the urban experience. These subjects may be questionable to some visitors, but they represent a timely, important discussion within the wider American culture about the roles, perceptions and expectations of African-Americans in it, and it's one of many significant museums in N. Y to find out about a selection of ideas, both old and new.
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