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Welcome to the African Americans in the Arts Exhibit!

The theme for Black History Month 2024 is "African Americans in the Arts". The library's exhibit to accompany Black Student Union's display and activities highlights African Americans' artistic works during three important periods: the Harlem Renaissance (ca. 1910s-mid 1930s); "Old Hollywood" (ca. 1920s-1960s); and the Black Arts Movement (ca. 1965-1976).

Enjoy perusing the resources below and if you need additional resources, see the rest of the tabs on this guide, visit our African American History guide, or Ask a Librarian for assistance.

Featured Highlights: W.E.B. Du Bois

Harlem Renaissance

Resources at Kaufman Library on Important People of the Harlem Renaissance (Images from Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division,Smithsonian Institution and Wikipedia CC)

W.E.B. Du Bois James Edward Purdy - National Portrait Gallery - CC0 Langston Hughes Photo by Jack Delano for the OWI, [1942]. Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress.
Zora Neale Hurston Van Vechten, Carl, 1880-1964, photographer, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Countee Cullen Van Vechten, Carl, 1880-1964, photographer, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Louis Armstrong Gottlieb, William P. -- 1917- (photographer), Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Duke Ellington Brooks, Charlotte, photographer, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Paul Robeson Van Vechten, Carl, 1880-1964, photographer, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Josephine Baker Van Vechten, Carl, 1880-1964, photographer, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Augusta Savage Marcus Garvey George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Claude McKay Berenice Abbott, 17 Jul 1898 - 9 Dec 1991, artist, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution Jean Toomer Marjorie Content, 1895 - 1984, artist. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
James Weldon Johnson Van Vechten, Carl, 1880-1964, photographer. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Jessie Redmon Fauset