Teacher’s
Guide
HOW TO USE THIS
TEACHER’S GUIDE:
Before your exhibition
visit, give students a
preview of what they will
see and learn
Incorporate this
information into classroom
lessons and activities before
and after your visit
Give copies to parent
chaperones for use during
visit (the DIA requires one
chaperone for every ten
students)
Go to
www.dia.org to
download this
guide, view color
images, find live links to
resources, and get more
information on the
exhibition and DIA
programs and services.
ROMARE BEARDEN, The Piano Lesson, 1983, collage on board, 29” x 22”. Walter O. Evans Foundation
for Arts and Literature ©Romare Bearden Foundation/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
—1—
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
Map of Exhibition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 3
Exhibition Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pages 4
Teacher Workshops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 5
Exhibition Walkthrough and Audio Stops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pages 6-12
Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pages 13-16
Links to Curriculum Standards for grades 5-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pages 17-18
Arts Education
Social Studies
English Language Arts
Discussion Questions and Classroom Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pages 19-20
Panel with Five Great American Negroes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 21
Resources: Books, Videos and Web sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pages 22-24
Vocabulary List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 25
African American Art on view in Remix: European and American Masterworks . . . . . . . .Page 26
The exhibition was organized by the Walter O. Evans Foundation for the Arts and Literature. In Detroit, the
exhibition has been made possible by a generous grant from General Motors Corporation and the GM Foundation.
Additional support provided by the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs and the City of Detroit.
—2—
Audio Tour
Drop Off
W262
EXIT
Exit Corridor
Catalogue
Reading Table
W270
GALLERY 6
Music as
Muse
W261
W260
Museum
Shop
Native
American
EXIT
Y
W271 GALLERY 5
Changing Perspectives:
Abstraction & New Forms
of Expression
Y
Great
Hall
W272
GALLERY 4
Y
Ritual and
Spirituality in
African American
Culture
ENTRY
W273
GALLERY 3
Stories of
Everyday
Life
W284
Y
Audio Tour Pick Up
Y
ENTER
Y
GALLERY 2
An Awakening
of a Black
Consciousness Y
Y
W280b
W280a
GALLERY 1
Introduction
Laying Claim
In American
Culture
Y
Woodward
Lobby
Timeline
W274
ÆY
Y
Æ Location of panel Five Great American Negroes, see page 20
JOHN R ST.
N
Student groups enter at Woodward Entrance.
John R Entrance is accessible.
DIA
WOODWARD
ENTRANCE
FARNSWORTH ST.
KIRBY ST.
EXHIBITION FLOORPLAN
HANDICAP
ACCESSIBLE
ENTRANCE
WOODWARD AVE.
—3—
Exhibition Summary
This exhibition contains over 80 paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures made by African
American artists between 1848 and 1997. It reveals that in the nineteenth century African
Americans began to distinguish themselves as fine artists, excelling in painting, sculpture,
drawing, printmaking, and photography. Ultimately, the exhibition details the diverse artistic
approaches used by African American artists during the twentieth century to create their
individual expressions of modern and contemporary ideas about making art and conveying
the black experience.
Learning From This Exhibition
A visit to the exhibition—linked to classroom studies—gives students and educators a focused
look at African American art. The history of African American art follows the story of the
African American people. This legacy is part of the history of all Americans.
By careful looking and discussion, supplemented by additional resources provided here, a visit
to the exhibition allows students of all backgrounds to make connections to art and to
incorporate knowledge into their own lives.
Audio Guides: Free with exhibition admission; users can choose the order in which to
access the stops
On request, a printed copy of each audio guide script is available for use in the exhibition.
Youth Audio Guide: Recommended for middle school students and younger
Adult Audio Guide: Recommended for high school students and older
“Ask Me” Guide
A museum-trained volunteer will be available during all open hours of the exhibition to address
visitor questions.
Tours
Guided tours for up to 45 students grades 3 and older are available Wednesday through Sunday
at 9:30 only. Tours must be requested at least 3 weeks in advance. Call (313) 833-1292 to
purchase tickets or for more information. Audio Guides are not sold or used during guided tours.
African American Art at the DIA
Many works from the DIA's collection of African American art are included in the current
installation Remix: Masterpieces from Europe and America. See list on page 26.
—4—
CHARLES WHITE, Woman Worker, 1951, oil on canvas;
©1951 The Charles White Archives
TEACHER WORKSHOPS
Evening for Educators
Focus on Special Exhibitions:
The Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art
Friday, April 7, 2006; 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Meet collector and former Detroiter Dr. Walter Evans, who will share his journey from
interested art lover to collector of one of the important historical collections of art created by
American artists of African descent. Shirley Woodson-Reid, Supervisor of Fine Arts in the
Detroit Public Schools, encouraged Evans to collect. She will introduce art teacher Robin
McDaniel of Detroit's Bates Academy, who will model printmaking and other lessons using
African American art resources. Member fee: $15; non-member fee: $20; student teacher
fee: $10; Includes exhibition ticket for a self-guided visit and admission to DIA Fridays and
special programs for all ages, 6-9 p.m.
Focus on Special Exhibitions:
The Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art
Saturday, April 29, 2006; 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Learn how African American artists reflect the times in which they live. Begin with a beforehours tour of the exhibition with Stephanie James, Assistant Curator of the DIA's General Motors
Center for African American Art. Then, Valerie Mercer, department head and Curator of the
Center, will discuss how contemporary African American artists reference history in their work.
In the afternoon, Dr. Juanita Witherspoon, 5th grade teacher, will model lessons and strategies for
incorporating African American history into your teaching. Written materials are provided. For
art, classroom and social studies teachers. Includes exhibition admission (a $10 value). Member
fee: $40; non-member fee: $50; student teacher fee: $25; SB-CEU credit available.
Call (313) 833-4249 for more information or to register for workshops.
—5—
Exhibition Walkthrough with Gallery Descriptions
and Audio Stops
JAMES VANDERZEE, Portrait of Walter O. Evans, 1981, gelatin print
Introduction Gallery
VanDerZee already had a long, successful career
documenting African American life in Harlem, New
York City, by the time he photographed the young Dr.
Evans. Evans had just begun to collect art. Dr. Evans
also collects rare books and literature pertaining to the
African American experience. He remarks that his
collections are not complete and that “As long as I am a
collector, I will always have new things to learn;
collecting adds a dimension of growth to my life.”
See expanded timeline on pages 13-16.
Gallery 1
LAYING CLAIM
EDMONIA LEWIS, Wooing of Hiawatha,
1866, white marble
EDMONIA LEWIS, Marriage of Hiawatha,
c. 1868, white marble
This gallery contains work by
nineteenth-century African
American artists. They
generally avoided creating
works which emphasized their
race, focusing instead on
subjects that dominated the art
of their time: portraiture,
landscape, literary themes, still
life and scenes of everyday
life. Their skills were measured
by their ability to emulate art
by European and European
American artists.
Youth Audio Stops
Wooing of Hiawatha and Marriage of Hiawatha by Edmonia Lewis
Lewis was Native American as well as African American, and the then popular love poem the
Song of Hiawatha (1855) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow had particular significance for her.
Being part Native American, Lewis carves this subject to tell a story from her culture. She uses a
—6—
“classical” style that echoes the art of ancient Rome. Lewis lived in Rome after 1865, and
ancient art was visible all around her. The revival of classical sculpture style was then very
popular in American and European art.
Wooing of Hiawatha illustrates a chapter of the poem. It shows Hiawatha's beloved Minnehaha
and her father, known as the Old Arrow Maker. The deer in front of them is a gift from
Hiawatha.
Marriage of Hiawatha shows a moment from the chapter “The Wedding Feast.” Hiawatha leads
Minnehaha to their new home.
Youth Audio Stop:
Man Fishing
by Robert Scott Duncanson
ROBERT SCOTT DUNCANSON, Man Fishing, 1848, oil on canvas
Duncanson was a constant traveler. While
traveling in Michigan’s upper peninsula to
make a painting of a newly opened copper
mine, he painted this image of a man
fishing. There are a few small details to
notice: The man’s leg dips into the water
and it appears distorted, the way objects
are actually seen through light and water.
Also, many viewers have noticed a
mysterious figure of a woman with
crossed arms incorporated in the tree bark
behind him.
Adult Audio Stops in this gallery:
Chapultepec Castle by Robert Scott Duncanson
Florida by Henry Ossawa Tanner
The Old Homestead by Edward Mitchell Bannister
Gallery 2
AN AWAKENING OF BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS IN AMERICAN CULTURE
Art of the Harlem Renaissance period (1920-1935) reveals the awakening of a black consciousness through works of art that demonstrated African American artists’ focus on their race. For
the first time, they presented portraits of their people and scenes from their daily lives.
During the 40s and 50s, African American artists continued to define the African American
image in work that dealt with their history, culture, and the multiplicity of their experiences.
Not until the Civil Rights Era of the 1960s did African American artists begin to deal directly
with issues that African Americans were struggling with for some time, such as racism, poverty,
and political exclusion.
—7—
LEFT: CHARLES WHITE, Sojourner Truth, 1940, pencil on paper.Walter O. Evans
Collection. 1940 ©The Charles White Archives
ABOVE: CHARLES WHITE, Frederick Douglass, 1940, pencil on paper. Walter O.
Evans Collection. 1940 ©The Charles White Archives
Youth Audio Stops:
Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass by Charles White
These drawings were made in preparation for a wall mural entitled Five Great American
Negroes which has portraits of slavery abolitionists and civil rights leaders including Frederick
Douglass (1818-1895). Anti-slavery and womens’ rights activist Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) is
shown wearing her characteristic bonnet.
The squared grids and pinholes on the drawing are there to allow the artist to properly place
these images in the context of the large murals. Pinholes allow charcoal dust to mark the precise
areas on the canvas to be painted.
Large interpretive label on stand for Five Great
American Negroes explains that the two drawings
by Charles White were made in preparation for a
large painting which is reproduced here. Circles and
texts help identify the five men and woman from
history. The panel is reproduced on page 21.
Youth Audio Stop:
Homage to Black Women Poets by
Elizabeth Catlett
The female figure raises her fist in an assertive “Black
Power” salute. The direct and elegant style of the figure
accents the highly polished mahogany from which it is
carved.
ELIZABETH CATLETT, Homage to Black Women Poets, 1984, mahogany, 69”
x 15” x 13”. Walter O. Evans Collection. ©Elizabeth Catlett/Licensed by
VAGA, New York, NY
—8—
Elizabeth Catlett is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards; she now lives and works in
Mexico. Catlett is known for her interest in dignified portrayals of black women, and themes
related to social causes and civil rights.
Adult Audio Stops in this gallery:
Homage to Black Women Poets by Elizabeth Catlett
The Negro Speaks in Rivers by Aaron Douglas
Gallery 3
STORIES OF EVERYDAY LIFE
Artists depict the activities they experience, and illustrate the stories they share as a common
heritage, so that others may know them better.
African American identity was too often defined by cultural stereotypes of minstrel shows and
other racist and demeaning portrayals. In reaction to this, African American artists looked to
themselves, their community, and their histories to tell the stories to each other and the rest of
the world. Their initial response was to emphasize a serious and sober identity, but the art in this
gallery exemplifies the gradual comfort level with portraying the diverse appearances and
customs of black people as everyday men and women.
Youth Audio Stop:
The Night Letter by
Eldzier Cortor
Two women are illuminated by
lamplight. In the foreground, the older
one holds a Bible in her lap while a
young girl looks up from a letter. The
distracted expressions on their faces
and the presence of the Bible create a
sense of unanswered questions about
the letter.
ELDZIER CORTOR, The Night Letter, 1938,
oil on canvas
—9—
Youth Audio Stop:
Ices I by Jacob Lawrence
The excitement of a New York
City street in summer is captured
by strong color patterns. Bold
vertical stripes are broken by
curved oval shapes, which make
the ice vendor the center of
attention.
Lawrence developed a fondness
for gouache (say: gwash) a
water-based paint from his very
early art training. This medium,
also called poster paint, has a
sense of directness that oil paint
might not provide.
JACOB LAWRENCE, Ices I, 1960, tempera on board, ©2006 The Jacob and
Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation, Seattle/Artists Rights Society (ARS),
New York
Adult Audio Stops in this gallery:
Reflections by Robert Thompson
A Summer Star by Romare Bearden
Country Scene by Lois Mailou Jones
Gallery 4
RITUAL AND SPIRITUALITY IN
AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE
Art in this gallery was inspired by Christian beliefs
and rituals. Three works by Aaron Douglas are
illustrations for the book God’s Trombones: Seven
Negro Sermons in Verse by James Weldon
Johnson. Johnson’s poems are written in the
rhythm and pace of an impassioned church
sermon. The subject of Jacob Lawrence’s Genesis
Creation Sermon series is also the church preacher,
paying homage to the charismatic hold that a
speaker can have over a congregation. Clementine
Hunter paints another aspect of ritual in her
Funeral Procession.
JACOB LAWRENCE, Genesis Sermon VI: And God Created
All the Beasts of the Earth, 1989, gouche on paper, The
Walter O. Evans Foundation for Art and Literature,
©2006 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation,
Seattle/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Youth Audio Stop:
Genesis Creation Series VI: And God
Created All the Beasts of the Earth
by Jacob Lawrence
—10—
In Eight Studies for The Book of Genesis, Jacob Lawrence illustrates the biblical story of
creation through the sermons of an African American preacher. His “reading of the Word” of the
Bible forms the title for each composition. In each panel Lawrence emphasizes the minister’s
emotional appeal through gestures and body position, and by the reactions of the congregation,
as dramatic depictions of the creation unfold through the church windows.
Lawrence repeats two symbols throughout the series: a single flower in a vase (missing only
from panel VI) and a toolbox. The flower is the blossoming of creation, and the toolbox is a
metaphor for the church as it builds a sense of community among its members. In panel VI, the
toolbox is in the second window sill. Lawrence bases these works on biblical texts and on his
own memories of these preachers
Adult Audio Stops in this gallery:
The Creation, Go Down Death, The Judgment Day by Aaron Douglas
Genesis Creation Series by Jacob Lawrence
Funeral Procession by Clementine Hunter
Gallery 5
CHANGING PERSPECTIVES: ABSTRACTION AS A NEW FORM OF
EXPRESSION
With the onset of World War II, many European artists and intellectuals found refuge in the
United States. American artists, including African Americans, drew from ideas on abstraction
that these Europeans had brought with them. As African American artists continued to explore
abstraction, some moved toward the elimination of recognizable forms.
Youth Audio Stop:
Instrument of Change (The Diaspora)
by Richard Hunt
Throughout his career, Hunt has worked
consistently in welded steel and bronze. He creates
sculptures from discarded pieces of industrial metal
that combine organic and industrial forms.
He says that he develops forms that nature might
create “if only heat and steel were available to her.”
Instrument of Change refers to the forced migration
of Africans to the Americas through the slave trade.
What is known as the African Diaspora is the story
of how Africans, though scattered, managed to
retain their traditions and define their identities in a
new world. This is symbolized here by radiating
streaks and wandering lines that move out from the
center of the sculpture.
RICHARD HUNT, Instrument of Change (The Diaspora), 1997, bronze
—11—
Adult Audio Stops in this gallery:
Cubist Bird by Sargent Claude Johnson
Bigger Bridge by Richard Hunt
Gallery 6
MUSIC AS MUSE
In Greek mythology, the nine muses were
goddesses who were sources of inspiration
for forms of art and other intellectual
disciplines.
To describe music as a source of
inspiration for painting and sculpture is to
acknowledge the importance of African
American music. Louis Armstrong, Duke
Ellington, Marian Anderson, Paul Robeson,
Mahalia Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha
Franklin, “Smokey” Robinson, and Robert
Johnson only scratch the surface of the
genius that African Americans have
provided to world culture.
ROMARE BEARDEN, The Piano Lesson, 1983, collage on
board, 29” x 22”. Walter O. Evans Foundation for Arts
and Literature ©Romare Bearden Foundation/Licensed by
VAGA, New York, NY
Youth Audio Stop:
The Piano Lesson by Romare Bearden
Many of the works of art in this gallery were inspired by music. This work of art inspired playwright August
Wilson. Wilson conceived his play The Piano Lesson after seeing Bearden’s collage. The play describes a
family struggle around the inheritance of a piano. Bearden’s image of the piano teacher and student became an
allegory for Wilson’s theme of African Americans handing down history from one generation to another.
Adult Audio Stop in this gallery:
The Blues Has Got Me by Romare Bearden
AFRICAN AMERICAN ART
FROM
END OF
THE WALTER O. EVANS COLLECTION EXHIBITION
—12—
Timeline
“I’ve always been interested in history, but they never taught Negro history in the public schools...
I don’t see how a history of the United States can be written honestly without including the Negro.
— ARTIST JACOB LAWRENCE IN 1940
1845
1848: Robert Scott Duncanson paints Man Fishing, the earliest work in this exhibition
1849: Harriet Tubman escapes slavery and beomes a conductor of the Underground Railroad
network of secret routes and people who helped fugitive slaves escape to freedom in the
north. Many passed through Michigan and some chose to live here
1851: Former slave Sojourner Truth travels the country to preach against slavery and delivers
her “Ain’t I A Woman?” speech at a woman’s rights convention in Akron, Ohio
1855
1852: Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” based on the life of Rev. Josiah
Henson, who escaped to Dresden, Ontario, Canada where he established a community and
trade school for former slaves
1861: Civil War begins
1863: Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation decrees slaves in Confederate states are
free
1865
1865: Civil War ends
Abraham Lincoln assassinated at Ford’s Theatre, Washington, D.C.
13th Ammendment to the U.S. Constitution outlaws slavery
1865- The period known as Reconstruction. After the Civil War Congress passed laws to rebuild
1877: the south; over 16 African American men were elected to Congress from southern states
1866- Many historically black colleges and universities are established, among them are:
Howard and Fisk Universities (1866), Morehouse College (1867), and Spelman College
(1881)
1868: 14th Ammendment to the U.S. Constitution grants citizenship to former slaves
1870: 15th Ammendment to the U.S. Constitution gives all male citizens the right to vote,
regardless of race
Great Migration of African Americans from the south begins
1875
1872: Sojourner Truth, Michigan resident since 1856, attempts to vote in Battle Creek and is
turned away
1877: Reconstruction ends; the federal government returns control to the southern states and
they pass Jim Crow laws, institutionalizing segregation
Thomas Edison invents the phonograph that makes it possible for mainstream America to
come into contact with African American culture through music
—13—
1881: Booker T. Washington founds Tuskegee Institute to provide vocational training for African
Americans
1895
1896: In Plessy v. Fergusen, the Supreme Court supports separate but equal public facilities and
segregation for blacks
1898: Actor, singer, athlete and civil rights activist Paul Robeson born
1902: Poet Langston Hughes born. His first published poem was “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”
which is the basis for Aaron Douglas’ drawing in this exhibition
1905
1906: Birth of entertainer Josephine Baker. She moved to Paris in 1925 and became famous for
“le jazz hot.”
1908: Production of the 1909 Model T Ford begins in Detroit
1909: W. E. B. DuBois and others establish the NAACP (National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People) in New York City
1912: Idlewild, Michigan: “The resort that segregation built,” one of the earliest resorts is
established specifically for African Americans
1913: Henry Ford produces Model Ts quickly and cheaply on an assembly line, launching
Detroit as the center of the automotive industry, attracting workers from around the world
1915
1914: World War I begins
1918: Many African Americans volunteer to serve their country in Europe, only to face continued
discrimination when they return home at war’s end
1920: Congress ratifies 19th Ammendment giving women the right to vote
1920- African American cultural activity known as the “Harlem Renaissance” encourages artists,
1935: writers, musicians and intellectuals
1923: Legendary nightclub The Cotton Club opens in Harlem, in New York City. At the time, all
the entertainers/performers were black, while the owners and most of the audiences were
white
1925
1925: Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters organized as a labor union for predominantly African
American Pullman railway porters
1926: Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Lewis moves to Detroit from Alabama
First Negro History Week established by educator Carter Woodson
1927: Trumpter Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven band record “Potato Head Blues” in Chicago
1927- Composer/musician Duke Ellington and his band perform at the Cotton Club and
1931: broadcasts on radio
—14—
1935
1936: Louis E. Martin begins publishing Michigan’s African American weekly publication, The
Michigan Chronicle
Jesse Owens wins four Olympic gold medals in Berlin; German Chancellor Adolf Hitler
refuses to participate in the awards ceremony
1937: Their Eyes Were Watching God second novel published by writer and anthropologist
Zora Neal Hurston
1938: 21-year old singer Ella Fitzgerald records a jazz version of the nursery rhyme “A Tisket A
Tasket” which becomes a hit, bringing her lasting fame and success
1939: WWII begins in Europe
Jazz singer Billie Holiday records the anti-lynching song “Strange Fruit” which is
denounced by Time Magazine as “a prime piece of propaganda” for the NAACP
Mezzo-soprano Marian Anderson sings at Washington’s Lincoln Memorial for 75,000
people on Easter Sunday after being denied a performance at the segregated Constitutional
Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution
1940: Benjamin O. Davis named first black general in the U.S. Army
1941: United States enters WWII
1942: The first cadets graduate from the flying school at Tuskegee Institute. “The Tuskegee
Airmen” later become famous for their accomplishments in World War II.
1943: Botanist George Washington Carver dies. He taught farming techniques to former slaves
and promoted peanut growing. Unlike cotton, peanuts replenish the soil and are a source of
protein in the diet
Detroit Institute of Arts acquires several works by African American artists in a gift from
the Works Progress Administration, Federal Arts Project
1945
1945: WWII ends
1947: Second baseman Jackie Robinson (at age 28) becomes the first African American player in
the modern major leagues
1954: U.S. Supreme Court rules segregation in public schools unconstitutional in Brown vs. the
Board of Education in Topeka, Kansas
1955
1955: Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus and
is arrested, launching the Montgomery bus boycott
U.S. Supreme Court orders school integration “with all deliberate speed”
1956: Singer Nat King Cole becomes first black performer to host his own TV show
U.S. Supreme Court orders Montgomery, Alabama to end segregation on busses
1957: Tennis player Althea Gibson becomes first African American to win Wimbledon
Championship
1958: Alvin Ailey and a group of young black modern dancers perform for the first time as
members of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York
—15—
1959: Lorraine Hansberry’s play Raisin in the Sun opens in New York. It is directed by
Detroiter Lloyd Richards, the first African American director on Broadway
Berry Gordy Jr. starts Motown Records in Detroit to record and distribute local singing
groups
1963: The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom led by Martin Luther King takes place
in Washington, D.C.
1964: President Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act making segregation illegal in public
places
Michigan becomes the first state to mandate a civil rights agency
1965
1965: Voting Rights Act protects the right of African Americans to vote
39-year old civil rights activist Malcolm X assassinated in New York City
Viola Liuzzo, Detroit housewife and mother of 5, is murdered while helping to register
African American voters in Alabama
1966: First Kwanzaa, a 7-day celebration (December 26-January 1st) of traditional African values
Right fielder Frank Robinson named MVP (most valuable player) of baseball’s American
League
1967: Thurgood Marshall becomes the first African American to be appointed to the U.S.
Supreme Court
Heavyweight boxing champion and convert to Islam, Muhammad Ali (formerly Cassius
Clay) refuses to serve during the Vietnam War, because “war is against the teachings of
the Holy Koran”
Summer of racial disturbances in Detroit and other cities
1975
1976: Black History Week expands to a full month to commemorate the achievements of
African Americans
1977: Mini-series of Alex Haley’s book Roots reaches the largest television audience ever,
bringing African American history to the attention of mainstream America
1977/ Dr. Walter O. Evans purchases The Legend of John Brown silkscreen prints by Jacob
78:
Lawrence at Detroit’s Pyramid Gallery marking the start of his collecting activities.
1984: Edwin Moses and Evelyn Ashford win gold medals in Olympic track and field
1985
1985: Performer and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey begins her national television talk show
1986: Martin Luther King’s birthday, January 15th, becomes a federal holiday observed on the
3rd Monday of every January
1992: Dr. Mae C. Jennison becomes first female African American astronaut to enter space
1995
1995: The Million Man March held in Washington D.C. as a day of atonement and reconciliation
1997: Dr. Walter O. Evans commissions Instrument of Change (The Diaspora) from sculptor
Richard Hunt—the latest work in the exhibition
—16—
Links to the Michigan Department of Education’s Curriculum and
Standards, 5th Grade-High School
The Michigan State Board of Education has approved model content standards for curriculum. These
content standards provide descriptions of what students should know and be able to do in subject areas.
The Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) tests are based on these standards. The selected
standards below are enhanced by a visit to the exhibition and use of information and resources in this
Teacher’s Guide.
ARTS EDUCATION STANDARDS
Dance, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts
Visual Arts Content Standard 3: Analyzing in Context
All students will analyze, describe and evaluate works of art.
EXHIBIT CONNECTION:
Compare sculpture throughout the exhibition. How many different materials, techniques and
time periods are represented, and how does this affect your response?
Visual Arts Content Standard 4: Arts in Context
All students will understand, analyze, and describe the arts in their historical, social, and
cultural contexts.
EXHIBIT CONNECTION:
How do the images of people and places change over time?
Compare the works in Gallery 1 with the works in Gallery 3.
Music Content Standard 5: Connecting to other Arts
Theater Content Standard 5: Connecting to other Arts
All students will recognize, analyze, and describe connections among the arts; between the arts
and other disciplines, and between the arts and everyday life.
EXHIBIT CONNECTIONS:
Describe the role of music in images in Gallery 6, Music as Muse.
Discuss why playwright August Wilson could have been inspired to write a play by the work
The Piano Lesson in Gallery 6.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Historical Perspective
Standard I.2 Comprehending the Past
All students will understand narratives about major eras of American and world history by
identifying the people involved, describing the setting, and sequencing the events.
EXHIBIT CONNECTIONS:
Selected works with dates or subjects that connect them to significant events that shaped our
state and nation (before 1877 for middle school; after 1877 for high school). See Timeline,
pages 13-16.
—17—
Geographic Perspective
Standard II.1 People, Places and Cultures
All students will describe, compare, and explain locations and characteristics of places, cultures, and
settlements.
EXHIBIT CONNECTIONS: Laying Claim/Landscapes
Compare early landscapes in Gallery 1 with city settings in later galleries. How do these works
illustrate changes caused by the Great Migration from the rural south to the urban north?
Civic Perspective
Standard III.2 Ideals of American Democracy
All students will explain the meaning and origin of the ideas, including the core democratic values
expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and other foundational documents of
the United States.
EXHIBIT CONNECTION:
How did individuals in history (such as Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth in Gallery 2)
demonstrate core democratic values?
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Literature
Standard 5 All students will read and analyze a wide variety of classic and contemporary literature
and other texts (i.e. visit to the exhibition) to seek information, ideas, enjoyment, and understanding
of their individuality, our common heritage and common humanity, and the rich diversity of our
society.
EXHIBIT CONNECTIONS:
Read or listen to texts illustrated by works in the exhibition and describe the shared human
experiences (birth, death, heroism, love, etc.) depicted:
Langston Hughes’ The Negro Speaks of Rivers painted by Aaron Douglas (Gallery 2)
James Weldon Johnson’s God’s Trombones poems illustrated by Aaron Douglas (Gallery 4)
Margaret Walker’s We Have Been Believers poem is also the title of work by Charles White
(Gallery 4)
Bessie Smith’s lyrics for the In the House Blues inspired Romare Bearden’s The Blues Has Got
Me (Gallery 6)
TEACHERS CAN ALSO USE ASPECTS OF STUDENTS’ MUSEUM EXPERIENCES TO MEET THE MICHIGAN
CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK’S STANDARDS OF AUTHENTIC INSTRUCTION:
Standards of Authentic Instruction:
Higher Order Thinking
Deep Knowledge
Substantive Conversation
Connections to the World Beyond the Classroom
—18—
Discussion Questions and Classroom Activities
Use the following questions to:
Have students share their museum observations in classroom discussions
Identify research papers, oral reports, and essay topics for students
Make connections between the exhibition and what you are studying in the classroom
In the museum:
Note: Have students bring notebooks for writing and sketching. Use pencils, not pens.
1. Visual Arts and Social Studies: Historical Perspective
Painter Charles White made large portraits of Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth for
the mural Five Great American Negroes (1939-40) (Gallery 2). The gallery panel is
reproduced on page 21. Compare these idealized features to Four Races figures in the
upper panels of Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry frescoes (1932). What world events were
happening as both murals were painted? Discuss why both artists created general instead
of specific features for these symbolic figures. Contrast this style with the specific features
in portraits by both artists—White’s Woman Worker and Rivera’s assembly line workers:
http://www.dia.org/education/rivera/plan1/index.htm
2. English Language Arts: Poetry and art inspired by Native American cultures
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem Songs of Hiawatha inspired Edmonia Lewis’
two sculptures in the Evans collection (Gallery 1) and her two small busts in the DIA’s
permanent collection (see page 26). View and sketch details of these works in the gallery.
In the classroom, read modern illustrated adaptations of the poem, or view the video and
discuss (see Resources, pp. 22-24.) What is accurate about these depictions of Native
American cultures? See a high school poetry lesson based on ‘Hiawatha’s Wooing’
Chapter 10 in Longfellow’s poem:
http://www.nw-service.k12.mn.us/Poetry-%20Sannes.pdf.
3. Visual Arts: Analyze, describe and evaluate works of art in context
Compare and contrast the sculpture in the exhibition. How do works by Edmonia Lewis
and Elizabeth Catlett differ? Compare Catlett’s figures to Richard Hunt’s work. How does
the historical context affect the materials, purpose and style of each artist? Include
Richard Hunt’s Field Section and Lewis’ two busts in the DIA’s permanent collection (see
page 26.)
In the Classroom
1. English Language Arts: Several works were inspired by poetry and share titles including:
Aaron Douglas The Negro Speaks of Rivers after a poem by Langston Hughes
(Gallery 2) http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15722
James Weldon Johnson’s God's Trombones poems illustrated by Aaron Douglas
(Gallery 4) http://docsouth.unc.edu/southlit/johnson/johnson.html
Margaret Walker’s We Have Been Believers is the title of a work by Charles White
(Gallery 4) http://www.english.uiuc.edu/Maps/poets/s_z/walker/onlinepoems.htm
—19—
Access these works and encourage students to compare and contrast these writers’ styles,
themes and moods. Students can create illustrations as they listen to audio works. See this
high school lesson on Harlem Renaissance poets during the 1920s and 30s:
http://www.givens.org/curriculum_detail.asp?CurriculumID=81
An image, Romare Bearden’s The Piano Lesson inspired the Pulitzer Prize-winning play
by August Wilson, which can be accessed at this site:
http://www.sparknotes.com/drama/piano/
2. Music: links to traditional African American musical forms including Jazz and Blues
Several works in Gallery 6 “Music as Muse” were inspired by music including:
Romare Bearden The Blues Has Got Me inspired by Bessie Smith’s lyrics for In the
House Blues
http://blueslyrics.tripod.com/lyrics/bessie_smith/in_the_house_blues.htm
Beauford Delaney’s Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald
http://www.ellafitzgerald.com/
Compare and contrast Bearden’s style to Delaney’s more abstract portrait of Ella
Fitzgerald. Students can create illustrations as they listen to audio works.
3. Social Studies: Civic Perspective and core democratic values
Have students research and report on the lives of Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth,
the subjects of portraits by Charles White (gallery 2). Why did White include them in his
mural Five Great American Negroes? See gallery panel on page 21. Students can research
biographies of George Washington Carver, Booker T. Washington, Marian Anderson and
other African American men and women of distinction. How do their achievements
exemplify the core democratic values?
Reports can take a variety of formats—students can design bookmarks, or contribute a page
to a book project, see for example:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/01-1/lp221_02.shtml
—20—
Panel with Five Great American Negroes
The drawings on the nearby walls, by Charles White, are portraits made in preparation for the
large painting Five Great American Negroes (also known as Progress of the American Negro).
The painting is located in the Howard University Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
The five great Americans portrayed are:
Sojourner Truth (1797-1883), abolitionist and
suffragist. She is shown wearing a characteristic
bonnet. Although she is known as an orator, she is
symbolically shown in the painting as leading
refugee slaves to freedom.
Booker T. Washington (1856-1915),
educator and author. He founded and
became the first principal of the Normal
School in Tuskegee, Alabama. It later
developed into the Tuskegee Institute and
Tuskegee University.
Marian Anderson (1897?-1993), contra-alto
singer. She was denied access to perform at
Constitution Hall in Washington D.C., but subsequently performed for the public at the Lincoln
Memorial, in protest of racial discrimination.
Frederick Douglass (18181895), escaped slave and
abolitionist. He is shown
with his distinctive hairstyle
and beard.
George Washington Carver
(1864-1943), scientist and
director of agricultural
research at Tuskegee Institute
(now Tuskegee University).
CHARLES WHITE, Five Great American Negroes (Progress of the American Negro), 1939-1940, oil on canvas; ©1939 The Charles White Archives
—21—
Resources
Books for Adults
Barnwell, Andrea. The Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art. University of
Washington Press, 1999.
Exhibition catalog includes essays and color images.
Patton, Sharon F. African-American Art. Oxford University Press, 1998.
Places art within American history, from Colonial times to the present.
Walker, Lewis, et al. African Americans in Michigan. Michigan State University Press, 2001.
Part of the Discovering the Peoples of Michigan series. Recounts African American
contributions throughout Michigan’s development.
Books for Children
Art:
Bearden, Romare, and Harry Henderson. A History of African-American Artists from 1792 to
the Present. Pantheon, 1993.
50 significant artists in six historical periods. Out of print, but used copies are available
on-line.
Duggleby, John. Story Painter: The Life of Jacob Lawrence. Chronicle Books, 1998.
Recounts the biography of Jacob Lawrence from his beginnings in 1932 Harlem and
success as a young artist to his later role as an art professor and mentor.
English Language Arts:
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. Hiawatha. Susan Jeffers, Illustrator. Penguin Books, 1983.
Adapted version suitable for early elementary. Also available in a Spanish edition.
Sullivan, Charles ed. Children of Promise: African-American Literature and Art for Young
People. Harry Abrams, 2001.
Updated edition with 100 poems, folk songs and literary excerpts, with 80 illustrations.
An introduction. For Middle School.
Social Studies:
Franklin, John Hope and Alfred A. Moss, Jr. From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African
Americans. 8th ed. Random House, 2000.
Standard text book for high school through adult readers.
New York Public Library. Amazing African American History: A Book of Answers for Kids.
Wiley, 1997.
African American history presented in a question and answer format for grades 4 to 9.
This book is available in the DIA Museum Shop.
EDUCATORS’ DISCOUNT AT DIA MUSEUM SHOP
Please bring your educator’s identification to receive a 20% educational discount on
products to be used exclusively in the classroom. This discount may not be combined with any
other discount. (If you wish to receive a tax exemption with the 20% discount,
you need a school tax ID number.)
—22—
Videos
http://www.landsvideo.com/index2.html
L & S Video produces student programs on several African American artists including
Bearden and Catlett. Free teachers guides can be downloaded for each program.
Song of Hiawatha. Hallmark, 1997.
The most recent film adaptation of Longfellow’s epic poem.
Against the Odds: Artists of the Harlem Renaissance. PBS. 1993.
Black visual artists flourished and developed a wide range of talents in 1920s and 30s
Harlem. 60 minutes.
This Far by Faith. Blackside Inc. for PBS, 2003. DVD and companion book.
This six-part documentary dramatically interprets the African American religious
experience.
Web Sites
http://creativefolk.com/toolkit/art.html
African American History and Heritage Tool Kit for teachers contains many resource
links including a link to artposters site with settings for African American artists’ prints
and posters:
http://creativefolk.com/toolkit/artposters.html
Art Museum resources:
http://www.artic.edu/artaccess/AA_AfAm/index.html
Art Institute of Chicago’s Art Access site includes lessons, including this variety show
format featuring artists, writers and performers of the Harlem Renaissance:
http://www.artic.edu/artaccess/AA_AfAm/pages/AfAm_lesson5.shtml
http://www.philamuseum.org/education/resources.shtml
Philadephia Museum of Art sells a poster set of 5 African American artists with
Beauford Delaney, Horace Pippen and Henry Tanner. Their Women Artists set includes
Elizabeth Catlett:
http://www.philamuseum.org/education/posters.shtml
Distance Learning:
http://americanart.si.edu/education/virtualtour.cfm
Video Visits offers a free, interactive distance learning program on African American
Artists, Free Within Ourselves produced by The Smithsonian American Art Museum.
—23—
Library Resources:
http://www.nypl.org/research/sc/sc.html
New York Public Library’s renowned Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture
includes online versions of exhibitions.
Artists:
Romare Bearden
http://www.beardenfoundation.org/
Features Education Resources pages with timeline, bibliography lesson plans and links
to other sites:
http://www.beardenfoundation.org/education/education.shtml
Includes links to museums sites like the National Gallery of Art:
http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/beardeninfo.htm
Jacob Lawrence
http://www.whitney.org/jacoblawrence/index.html
Whitney Museum of Art’s Exploring Stories site for students, parents and teachers on
the art and life of Jacob Lawrence including web quests:
http://www.whitney.org/jacoblawrence/resources/whatis.html
Language Arts:
http://www.poets.org/index.php
Search Academy of American poets site by poet or poem; has Educator lesson plans and
audio clips including Langston Hughes’ The Negro Speaks of Rivers:
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15722
Music:
http://pbskids.org/jazz/index.html
Site developed for Ken Burns’ Jazz series; includes lessons.
Social Studies:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/
Interactive site uses role playing choices of the runaway slave to teach about the
Underground Railroad system.
http://www.dia.org/education/connect/index.htm
Detroit Institute of Arts pairs social studies and art lessons to teach diversity. The
Common Quilt is based on Romare Bearden’s Quilting Time (returning on view at the
DIA in November 2007).
http://www.dia.org/education/connect/plan6/index.htm
—24—
Vocabulary
Abstract
Art that emphasizes formal elements over visual references to nature
African diaspora
The indigenous, or black peoples of Africa and their descendants, wherever they are in
the world beyond the African continent
Classical style
Art, especially sculpture and architecture, based on ancient Greek and Roman examples;
from the Latin classicus ‘of the first rank’
Collage
The pasting of paper and other flat materials to create a design
Federal Arts Project
A government program developed by President Franklin Roosevelt to change the
economy and end the Great Depression of the 1930s; the Federal Arts Project was part
of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) that put jobless people to work
Gouache (say: gwash)
A painting, or a paint medium made of opaque pigments in a water base
Harlem Renaissance
A flowering of African American culture based in Harlem, New York City from
1920-1935 that was expressed through visual art, dance, music, theatre, literature,
poetry, history and politics
Jim Crow laws
Laws passed by southern states after federal government control ended in 1877 that
established segregation or separation of the races
Reconstruction (1865-1877)
The time period after the Civil War intended to rebuild the country. The federal
government controlled southern states with legislation and federal troops. Many African
American men were elected to Congress
Symbol
Something that stands for or suggests something else
Underground Railroad
A system of secret routes and people, or conductors, who helped escaping slaves reach
freedom in the north or in Canada
—25—
African American Artists in the DIA’s current installation
of the permanent collection through 2007:
Remix European and American Masterworks
Art and the Natural World
Ed Clark, Maple Red,1963, oil and mixed media on canvas (1998.53)
Richard Hunt, Field Section, 1972, metal, steel, automobile steel, welded construction
(74.44)
Art and the Individual
Edmonia Lewis, Minnehaha, 1868, marble (1986.33)
Edmonia Lewis, Hiawatha, 1868, marble (T1989.403)
Augusta Savage, Gamin, painted plaster, c. 1930 (2001.38)
Hughie Lee-Smith, Self Portrait, 1964, oil on canvas (F76.109)
Beauford Delaney, Self Portrait, 1962, oil on canvas (1992.214)
Benny Andrews, Portrait of a Collagist, 1989, oil and collage on canvas (1993.65)
Art and Everyday Life
William T. Williams, The Flute Player, 1992, acrylic on canvas (1999.58)
Hughie Lee-Smith, The Piper, 1953, oil on composition board (66.391)
Robert Colescott, Change Your Luck, 1988, acrylic on canvas (2002.126)
Art and Imagined Worlds
Bob Thompson, Death of Camilla, 1964, oil on canvas (F1983.73)
Robert Scott Duncanson, Ellen’s Isle, 1871, oil on canvas (F80.215)
Art and Spirituality
Henry Ossawa Tanner, Flight Into Egypt, 1899, oil on canvas (69.452)
Bob Thompson, Blue Madonna, 1961, oil on canvas (F1983.57)
—26—
Dear Educator:
Thank you for planning a visit to the exhibition “African
American Art from the Walter O. Evans Collection” (April 9July 2, 2006) with students.
Please fill out the attached survey to help us improve future
Teacher’s Guides and return it by August 1, 2006.
If you have not yet seen “African American Art from the
Walter O. Evans Collection,” please wait until after your visit to
complete the survey.
We will select one survey from those submitted and award
museum admission for 40 students and 4 adults (a $146 value)
for a future visit. A drawing will be held the first week of August,
2006, and the winner will be notified – please be sure to fill in
your name and contact phone number on the survey to enter the
contest.
Sincerely,
Nancy Jones
Head of Education
AFRICAN AMERICAN ART FROM THE WALTER O. EVANS COLLECTION
1. How did you receive the African American Art Teacher’s Guide?
Electronic file downloaded from the DIA Web site
Printed copy sent by the DIA
Both an electronic file and a printed copy
Given by a museum staff member or volunteer
Other
Don’t know
2. Did you attend African American Art with a student group? (Note: if you plan to attend the exhibition at a
future date, please wait until after your visit to complete the survey.)
Yes
No
3. If you answered YES to Question 2, when did you first receive an electronic file or printed copy of the
African American Art Teacher’s Guide? If you answered NO to Question 2, skip to Question 4.
4 or more weeks prior to visiting
2 to 3 weeks prior to visiting
At the museum
After visiting the museum
1 week prior to visiting
4. How helpful were the following items in the African American Art Teacher Guide?
UNHELPFUL
NEUTRAL
SOMEWHAT HELPFUL
HELPFUL
VERY HELPFUL
Exhibition map
Exhibition summary and key points
Description of teacher workshops
Timeline
Links to MI Curriculum & Standards
Discussion questions & classroom activities
Panel with Five Great American Negroes
Resources
Vocabulary list
African American art on view at the DIA
Images
5. Of the items mentioned in Question 4, list the two that you found most helpful?
a.
b.
6. How likely would you be to use the following items about the exhibition if they were included in a future
teacher’s guide?
VERY UNLIKELY
UNLIKELY
UNDECIDED
LIKELY
VERY LIKELY
Adult audio guide script
Description of interpretive materials
in the exhibition
Discussion questions
Exhibition map
CONTINUED ON REVERSE SIDE
VERY UNLIKELY
UNLIKELY
UNDECIDED
LIKELY
VERY LIKELY
Formal lesson plans for the classroom
Images of works of art
Links to MI Curriculum and Standards
Sample explanatory text
from the exhibition
Summary of exhibition themes
and key points
Vocabulary
Youth audio guide script
Web quests
Other
7. Of the items mentioned in Question 6, list the two that you would find most helpful?
a.
b.
8. Overall, how wold you rate the African American Art Teacher’s Guide?
Poor
Fair
Neutral
Good
Excellent
Don’t know
Parent Chaperone
Home Schooler
GENERAL
9. What grade level do you most often teach?
K to 2
3 to 5
6 to 8
9 to 12
10. What subject do you most often teach?
Art
English language arts
General classroom
Science
Social studies
World languages
Mathematics
Other
11. Do you have any additional comments or suggestions?
Required for contest notification:
Name
Telephone
Please mail completed survey to: The Detroit Institutute of Arts, Education Department
5200 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan 48202