Harlem is Everywhere, Ep. 2

Portraiture & Fashion

Dear Research Network, Colleagues and Friends,

To understand the arts is to understand society. It is through the artistic lens that society sees itself more clearly while also celebrating that which it wants to become. This episode of Harlem is Everywhere explores fashion as a central component of the Harlem Renaissance.

Please see the enclosed episode of Harlem is Everywhere. Episode 2 is entitled, “Portraiture and Fashion.”

Harlem Is Everywhere

Show Notes

What role did fashion play in the Harlem Renaissance? Artists at the time were committed to creating a new image of Black life in America and abroad. In this episode, we’ll explore how Black self-representation evolved during this period through the photography of James Van Der Zee and paintings by artists like William Henry Johnson and Archibald J. Motley, Jr. We’ll also examine how fashion conveyed community values and offered new modes of individual expression that challenged racist stereotypes and created a shared sense of dignity.

Learn more about The Met’s exhibition at metmuseum.org/HarlemRenaissance

Guests:

Bridget R. Cooks, Chancellor’s Fellow and professor of art history and African American studies at the University of California, Irvine

Robin Givhan, Senior critic-at-large, The Washington Post

#HarlemIsEverywhere

Harlem Is Everywhere is produced by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in collaboration with Audacy’s Pineapple Street Studios.

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