Celebrating African American artists with a Newberry connection

The first time I learned about the Harlem Renaissance I was in a high school English class. I vividly remember reading Langston Hughes’s poem, entitled “Harlem (A Dream Deferred),” and being awestruck by Hughe’s ability to paint a picture, while perfectly encapsulating both the passion and despair he was feeling at the time.

In college, I took an African American Art History course as an elective for the art history major. I remember circling back to this poem, specifically its ending. When Hughes is pondering the possibilities of a deferred dream, he concludes with the question. “Or does it explode?”

When we think of the Harlem Renaissance today, the term “explosion” seems like a fitting categorization. The Renaissance celebrated a dynamic revival of both cultural and intellectual context, celebrating African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater and politics.

While the Renaissance was centered in Harlem, New York, the movement had legs, and influenced Black artists both in the United States and Europe. It was truly an explosion, bringing forth massive amounts of creative energy and innovation, while connecting with and uplifting the magnificent African Americans involved with the cultural revolution.

When we decided to recognize the Harlem Renaissance in some way at The Newberry Museum, I knew I wanted to try and showcase the enduring nature of this explosion. Together with board members Denise Reid and Norma Donaldson-Jenkins, I worked to form the Education and Outreach Committee in order to bring in a community-based element for the exhibit.

We elected to reach out to African American artists that were connected to Newberry County in some way, asking them to loan artifacts representative of their creative processes. Beyond this, we wanted them to answer an essential question: how have the arts helped you find your voice?

Our open call for artists ended up garnering twelve fabulous participants, with a wide range of creative passions. Participants include writers, children’s book authors, musical theater artists, a fashion designer, visual artists, a musician/singer, and more.

This community-based art exhibit is on display at the museum now, until April 15. Come learn about their creative pursuits, while exploring ways in which the dynamic, enduring nature of the Harlem Renaissance has stoked the flames of an explosion in Newberry County as well.

As a compliment to the exhibit, we were privileged to partner with the Newberry Arts Center, Newberry Made, and CREATE Newberry Inc., to put together a video project that tells the story of the exhibit. On display at the museum is a video presentation that highlights each individual participating artist and their creative process. This video, as well as each individual artist’s video, is available on our website at www.thenewberrymuseum.com/harlem-renaissance.

Having the ability to help play even a small part in letting these artists tell their stories has been incredibly exciting for us as an institution. Hopefully, folks who interact with the exhibit will leave with a little more insight into the history of the Harlem Renaissance, while also feeling empowered to explore how the arts could help them find their own identity.

Another quote that often comes to mind when meditating on the history of the Harlem Renaissance is one by Zora Neale Hurston. It reads, “There are years that ask questions, and years that answer.”

The year 2020, for all of us, was a year of uncertainty, of tension, and of asking questions about who we are and where we’re heading. My hope is that, through this exhibit and others like it, 2021 can be a year that answers.

The Newberry Museum is currently open from Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. To inquire about the museum, donate an artifact, or express interest in volunteering, contact Executive Director Sheridan K. Murray at (803) 597-5215 or [email protected].

Funding by CREATE Newberry, Inc. and Newberry Arts Center is made possible through The Art of Community: Rural S.C. and the South Carolina Arts Commission.