Celebrating Black Artists

For a few shining years Countee Cullen seemed destined to define the African American urban experience. A gifted poet, Cullen wrote some of the outstanding works of the 1920s, and when he married Yolande Du Bois, in what was proclaimed the social event of the decade, his success and fame seemed assured. It was not to be. The marriage failed, and with it Cullen lost his best patrons and his poetic productivity declined sharply. After remarrying, Cullen was on the cusp of reinventing himself, as a writer for the theatre, when he died an untimely death. Through it all, he remained faithful to his vision of words, poetry, and the duty of a person who felt his blackness, but did not wish to be constrained by it.

Introduce your readers to a stellar talent. There is no question that Langston Hughes was one of the brightest lights of the Harlem Renaissance. A true pioneer, Hughes was one of the first poets to draw on the syncopated rhythms of jazz and black urban dialect for his work, and it proved transformative for American poetry. With a looser lyrical style reminiscent of Walt Whitman, Hughes used his art to portraying the experiences, concerns, and consolations of black men and women. As a poet, playwright, and novelist, he was impressively prolific, leaving behind a body of work truly worthy of study and celebration.

Aretha Franklin was blessed with one of the greatest voices in all of popular music. She sang from the age of eight, and performed professionally from the age of fourteen. Her talent, which many described simply as God-given, seemed sufficient to ensure her a life of comfort and ease. In spite of earning large sums of money and having millions of adoring fans, Franklin experienced powerful insecurity. Nonetheless, the 'Queen of Soul' persevered and became one of the legendary talents of her generation. With this fact-filled biography, readers will be able to celebrate this extraordinary artist by learning all about her fascinating life and career.

A bandleader and trumpet player, Miles Davis was one of the twentieth century's greatest musicians. Performing with jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker early in his career, Davis expanded the idea of what jazz could be. His greatest albums redefined the genre, and members of his band, such as Wayne Shorter and Chick Corea, went on to become famous in their own right. Readers will learn that Davis also faced challenges, including rocky romances and a drug addiction he struggled to kick. Through it all, he found comfort in his music, which remains relevant decades after his death.

His was the greatest of talents, concealed beneath a carefree exterior. Duke Ellington possessed musical genius, which he claimed to exert for the glory of God and on behalf of his fellow African Americans. Readers will get to know the many sides of the legendary composer. The sunshiny smile displayed at concert time could sometimes be replaced by a frightful temper behind the scenes. Genius often comes at a price, but Duke Ellington's work is paramount. It includes 1,8 - Eighth Grade00 musical compositions and a virtually uncountable number of concert appearances. Readers will agree that his contributions belong to the ages.

Edmonia Lewis was a free woman of color who gained recognition as a sculptor during the Civil War. Of black and Native American heritage, she stood out in the largely white and male-dominated art world. At first, she struggled to find sculptors willing to mentor her, but Lewis was determined to succeed and opened an art studio in 1864. Her early works included busts of Native Americans and abolitionists, a community that helped her career thrive. Readers will learn that a move to Rome in 1866 raised her to international fame. Against all odds, she achieved unimaginable success as an artist. Inspire readers by introducing them to Edmonia Lewis.

Born in Georgia at the end of the nineteenth century, Alma Woodsey Thomas defied society's expectations for black women. She did not marry, have children, or work as a domestic. Instead, Thomas was a teacher and an artist. Fascinated by nature and the universe, she could paint vivid scenes of everything from the trees in her yard to NASA's first moon landing. Readers will learn that she wouldn't win public acclaim for her art until later in life. Facing health problems and old age, Thomas managed to become one of the country's most influential artists.

"The connection between American whites and blacks is far deeper and more passionate than any of us like to think." These words from the introduction of his collection of essays in "Nobody Knows My Name" shows the truth-telling strength of a brave man. James Baldwin was an outspoken advocate for social justice and equality for black people in America. He lent a creative and powerful voice to the civil rights struggle of the 1960s and brilliantly critiqued the problems of race in the twentieth century. Through his novels, plays, poetry, and essays, Baldwin urged the world to understand and appreciate the humanity and complexity of African Americans. This thought-provoking biography analyzes the life behind this creative force and will inspire your readers to be true to themselves and strong of conviction.

Born in 1821 to a Scottish Canadian father and an African American mother, Robert S. Duncanson is widely considered to be the first black artist to become world-famous. He began as a house painter and, from there, moved on to portraits and landscapes. A self-taught artist influenced by the Hudson River School of painters, Duncanson traveled throughout North America and Europe to hone his craft. By the 1860s, the press had dubbed him the "best landscape painter in the West." This was high praise given the fierce racial prejudice of the time. Unfortunately, mental health problems cut Duncanson's career and life short, but readers will still be inspired by this tremendously talented individual.

War had a profound effect on Horace Pippin. Stationed in Europe during World War I, Pippin saw active combat as part of the Harlem Hellfighters regiment, a group of mostly African American soldiers. While he was serving bravely for a country that didn't yet fully recognize his civil rights, his right arm was injured by sniper fire, but he harbored far deeper wounds inflicted by the horrors of battle. He picked up a paintbrush as a way to treat his injury, but learning to make art soothed him in mind, body, and soul. In this in-depth biography, readers learn more about Pippin's life as a self-taught artist and how his art, ranging from self-portraits to landscapes to domestic scenes and touching on issues like slavery and segregation, drew the attention of museums, private collectors, and even Hollywood stars of the 1940s. Though his career was cut short by a fatal stroke when he was just 5 - Fifth Grade8 - Eighth Grade years old, Pippin's work left an indelible mark on American art.

Henry Ossawa Tanner was one of the true greats. Though slight and spare of body, he never spared himself in a life of devotion to high art. This volume takes the reader through Tanner's life and career, showing his many struggles and sacrifices. Wherever possible, Tanner's own words are employed to describe people and places, ranging from the famous to the obscure. What emerges is a story of gritty determination, a resolve that never quit. Even today, a century after Tanner's death, he remains one of the greatest of African American painters, a person others try to emulate.

Maya Angelou was a writer, dancer, activist, and actress, and the recipient of numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Her body of work evokes emotions that range the full spectrum, from joy to heartbreak and from rage to hope. A phenomenal woman, she enriched the world of literature and society as a whole. This essential biography explores her life and creative output and delves into why her powerful words continue to touch the lives of people today.

Augusta Savage endured more, far more, than her fair share of sorrow and difficulty. She lost three husbands, one child, and many friends. So it isn't surprising that she sometimes fell into bitterness and despair, but she usually found a remedy for the pain: using her strong fingers to shape works of art. This volume treats Savage as a complex and difficult person who nonetheless wins our admiration. In addition to a comprehensive narrative, readers will discover Savage through her own words, from letters and magazine interviews, revealing this woman as she was: dogged, inspired, and relentless.

Like many artists before her, Zora Neale Hurston received virtually no recognition for her work until after her death. Hurston began her career as an anthropologist, observing and documenting the tension of race relations in the American South. She strove to expose the horrific practice of 'paramour rights,' wherein white men sexually exploited black women in their employment. But this work and her later fiction, including the now famous Their Eyes Were Watching God, would end up in relative obscurity as her fictional portrayal of African American dialect was criticized as offensive and her political views were often less progressive than those of her contemporaries. With engaging, accessible text, this biography gives readers a fuller picture of this complicated writer and woman.