Dialogue by Cream

Dialogue

1925-1990

SEBASTIEN PIERRE

Works

THE NEW NEGRO ALAIN LOCKE, 1925

MAN WITH THE MATCH EMORY DOUGLAS, 1967

FIRE!! LANGSTON HUGHES, 1926

COVERS FOR THE BLACK PANTHER EMORY DOUGLAS, 1967-80

COVER & ILLUSTRATIONS FOR FIRE!! AARON DOUGLAS, 1926

HUEY POSTER SHOT UP BY POLICE STEPHEN SHAMES,1968

HARLEM RENT PARTY MABEL DWIGHT, 1929

SWEET SWEETBACK BADASS SONG MELVIN VAN PEEBLES, 1971

CAB CALLOWAY AND DANCERS THE COTTON CLUB, 1937

SUPERFLY GORDON PARKS JR., 1972

EBONY MAGAZINE JOHN H. JOHNSON, 1945

LINDA GOODE BRYANT DWIGHT CARTER, 1974

JET MAGAZINE JOHN H. JOHNSON, 1951 - PRESENT

NYLON MESH AND MAREN HASSINGER SENGA NENGUDI, 1977

NOW IT’S PEPSI JET MAGAZINE AD, 11/7/1963

ART IS... LORRAINE O’GRADY, 1983

GIOVANNI’S ROOM JAMES BALDWIN, 1956

RAMMELLZEE GEORGE DUBOSE, 1988

JAMES BALDWIN CARL VAN VECHTEN, 1955

PARIS IS BURNING JENNIE LIVINGSTON, 1990

PUBLIC NOTICE JET MAGAZINE, 11/7/1963

FIGHT THE POWER PUBLIC ENEMY, 1989

MCDONALD’S CAMPAIGNS TOM BURRELL, LATE 1960’s

AFRICAN AMERICAN FLAG DAVID HAMMONS, 1990

Preface

In her essay Rootedness: The ancestor as foundation Toni Morrison notes, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The best art is political and you ought to be able to make it unquestionably political and irrevocably beautiful at the same time.â&#x20AC;? But when does the process of making art become a political act? Looking at the development of art within various cultural movements throughout history, one can see that even the most personal piece has the ability to convey larger ideas, promote opinions, and influence oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social conscience. Because of this, any work of art could be seen as politically charged, although some to a much higher degree. These controversial pieces are usually categorized as rebellious in the same way that the artists behind them are categorized as rebels. To put it simply, anything or anyone that disagrees with the norms of mainstream society can, and probably will be, seen as rebellious to some, and revolutionary to others. DIalogue:1925-1990 explores the complex conversations societies have through works of art and cultural objects. The sourcebook features artists and intellectuals such as Langston Hughes, John H. Johnson, and Linda Goode Bryant while discussing how their work contributed to a larger dialogue. While vastly different in form each piece can be seen as a response to the artists experience in America, and subsequently, as a formal or informal act of political resistance.

You will not be able to stay home, brother. You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out. You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and skip out for beer during commercials, Because the revolution will not be televised.

Spotlight The 1920’s art movement known as the Harlem Renaissance was fueled by writers and poets like Alain Locke and Langston Hughes. Most of their work describes the black experience as something beautiful, as seen in Hughes’s Harlem Sweeties. At the time this was new and exciting for many people of color. The growing popularity of these black artists led to a spotlight being placed on Harlem. Both Locke and THE NEW NEGRO ALAIN LOCKE, 1925

Hughes created publications which showcased some of Harlems most prominent voices in art and literature, but ultimately it was Locke’s anthology The New Negro that put the movement on the map. Locke embraced his role as the unofficial spokesperson of the movement and became an advocate for black art.

However, many of the contributors to The New Negro, including Hughes, argue that Locke purposefully omitted works that dealt with drugs, violence, or homosexuality in his work. They felt that he was pandering to a white audience, inherently reenforcing Eurocentric values in its representation of the black experience. Locke has said before that he believes the race’s “more immediate hope rests in the revaluation by white and black alike

of the Negro in terms of his artistic endowments and cultural contributions.” Historian David Levering Lewis called this idea “irresponsibly delusional,” and many agreed. Immediately after The New Negro was released, Hughes and a group of his colleagues responded with their own publication titled Fire!!, welcoming all of the taboos that they felt Locke had excluded.

FIRE!! LANGSTON HUGHES, 1926

Whist Lockeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s charming depiction of black life inspired young white people to flock uptown so they could experience the renaissance first hand. Black cabarets like the Cotton Club saw this as an opportunity to profit off of the new white clientele and began banning black people. This act lead to a wave of whist parties, secret apartment parties advertised on small cards and left in elevators or apartment lobbies where only other black people would find them. Whist parties were know for selling bootleg whiskey, fried fish, and chitterlings to guests while hosting younger artists and performers such as Aaron Douglas and Louis Armstrong.

COVER & ILLUSTRATIONS FOR FIRE!! AARON DOUGLAS, 1926

HARLEM RENT PARTY MABEL DWIGHT, 1929

CAB CALLOWAY AND DANCERS THE COTTON CLUB, 1937

“Almost every Saturday night when I was in Harlem I went to a house-rent party. I wrote lots of poems about house rent parties… I met ladies’ maids and truck drivers, laundry workers and shoe shine boys, seamstresses and porters. I can still hear their laughter in my ears, hear the soft slow music, and feel the floor shaking as the dancers danced.” Langston Huges

The revolution will not be televised. The revolution will not be brought to you by Xerox In 4 parts without commercial interruptions. The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon blowing a bugle and leading a charge by John Mitchell, General Abrams and Mendel Rivers to eat hog maws confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary. The revolution will not be televised. The revolution will not be brought to you by the Schaefer Award Theatre and will not star Natalie Woods and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia. The revolution will not give your mouth sex appeal. The revolution will not get rid of the nubs. The revolution will not make you look five pounds thinner, the revolution will not be televised, Brother.

EBONY MAGAZINE JOHN H. JOHNSON, 1945 - PRESENT JET MAGAZINE JOHN H. JOHNSON, 1951 - PRESENT

Beauty By 1945 Ebony Magazine had published its first issue and all 25,000 copies sold out immediately. The creator of the magazine, John H. Johnson noticed that people of color were being neglected in the American mainstream media, beauty, and entertainment industries. He sought to represent that population by publishing magazines like Ebony and Jet. He states that his goal was to, “show not only Negroes but also white people that Negroes got married, had beauty contests, gave parties, ran successful businesses, and did all the other normal things of life.” This type of representation resonated deeply with readers, giving Johnson the opportunity to create an entertainment empire. With major holdings in book and magazines publishing, cosmetics, television, and radio Johnson’s work was able to build a platform for black creatives while providing a communal space for discussion.

NOW IT’S PEPSI JET MAGAZINE AD, 11/7/1963

Understanding Still, Johnson was not afraid of openly bringing attention to various social issues. Each publication offered regular opportunities for readers to contribute and speak their mind. The 1963 November 7th issue of Jet published an open letter titled Homosexuals Ask Understanding From Public, calling for more open communication and better education on LGBT issues. Topics like this were extremely polarizing, especially in the 60’s, so most magazines simply ignored the issue. But these black magazines already contained an inherently political nature, putting them in a position to continue to challenge these societal conventions. Moreover, on May 21st 1953 Jet Magazine named James Baldwin’s novel Tell it to the Mountain it’s book of the week. The book focused on a fictional family and their daily struggles with racism but is known for its subtle homosexual themes. Three years later Baldwin explored those themes very closely in Giovanni’s room, his only erotic novel and one of his most popular pieces to date.

GIOVANNI’S ROOM JAMES BALDWIN, 1956

JAMES BALDWIN CARL VAN VECHTEN, 1955

PUBLIC NOTICE JET MAGAZINE, 11/7/1963

Dark skinned white people Ebony and Jet were also some of the first magazines to have ads that were created by, featuring, and designed for black people. The world of advertising was predominantly white in the 50’s, so when targeting people of color most ads usually just replaced the white actors with black actors after filming the original.

MCDONALD’S CAMPAIGNS TOM BURRELL, LATE 1960’s

This was all up until 1961 when Tom Burrell came onto the scene as one of americas first black ad men. His ability to advertise to black consumers in a genuine way resulted in huge profits for all of his clients, including McDonald’s and Marlboro. He revolutionized the entire industry with a simple philosophy: “black people are not dark skinned white people.”

There will be no pictures of you and Willie Mays pushing that shopping cart down the block on the dead run, or trying to slide that color television into a stolen ambulance. NBC will not be able predict the winner at 8:32 on reports from 29 districts. The revolution will not be televised. There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down brothers in the instant replay. There will be no pictures of Whitney Young being run out of Harlem on a rail with a brand new process. There will be no slow motion or still life of Roy Wilkens strolling through Watts in a Red, Black and Green liberation jumpsuit that he had been saving For just the right occasion. Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Hooterville Junction will no longer be so god damned relevant, and women will not care if Dick finally screwed Jane on Search for Tomorrow because Black people will be in the street looking for a brighter day. The revolution will not be televised.

Demand The Black Panther Party for SelfDefense was organized in 1966, following the assassination of Malcolm X. Founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale the group began as an armed citizens patrol of the Oakland police but soon transformed into a nationwide movement. By 1967 the organization began publishing its own self titled newspaper The Black Panther. Each issue featured their Ten Point Program, what they referred to as a “combination of a Bill of Rights and a Declaration of Independence.” In it they demand education reform, decent housing, employment, peace, and so on. The party also promoted black-run publishing houses, theaters, and other spaces of artistic production and exhibition. Eventually, they hired Emory Douglas the party’s minister of culture to art directed and design the paper. During his time working on the paper Douglas create some of the most potent images of the movement.

MAN WITH THE MATCH EMORY DOUGLAS, 1967

COVERS FOR THE BLACK PANTHER EMORY DOUGLAS, 1967-80

HUEY POSTER SHOT UP BY POLICE STEPHEN SHAMES,1968

This marriage of Black Power ideologies with the burgeoning Black Arts Movement created a noticeable shift in the conscience of the black population. They promoted a message of self love and pride amongst black people. However, this also concerned governing bodies and law enforcement. Eventually this meant that even producing certain pro-black symbols could be considered a form of political rebellion. Luckily, people like Newton, Douglas, and Angela Davis understood the media and used it to their advantage, popularizing phrases like “Black is Beautiful” and “Say it loud, i’m black and i’m proud!”

SWEET SWEETBACK BADASS SONG MELVIN VAN PEEBLES, 1971

Funky Blaxploitation films like Sweet Sweetbackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Baadasssss Song and Superfly became nationwide hits for audiences of all races. While critiqued by some for perpetuating certain black stereotypes, the films allowed for the exploration of black political and social issues in a new way while featuring strong black heroes, all black casts, and soul/funk soundtracks.

SUPERFLY GORDON PARKS JR., 1972

Progressive art can assist people to learn not only about the objective forces at work in the society in which they live, but also about the intensely social character of their interior lives. Ultimately, it can propel people toward social emancipation. Angela Davis

There will be no highlights on the eleven oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock news and no pictures of hairy armed women liberationists and Jackie Onassis blowing her nose. The theme song will not be written by Jim Webb or Francis Scott Key, nor sung by Glen Campbell, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash or Englebert Humperdink. The revolution will not be televised. The revolution will not be right back after a message about a white tornado, white lightning, or white people. You will not have to worry about a dove in your bedroom, a tiger in your tank, or the giant in your toilet bowl. The revolution will not go better with Coke. The revolution will not fight the germs that may cause bad breath. The revolution will put you in the driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seat.

That’s what art is Unsatisfied with the discriminatory practices of New York’s more established galleries and museums, Linda Goode Bryant decided to open JAM (Just Above Midtown) gallery in 1974. Bryant placed her gallery on 57th street, the center of the cities mainstream art world. She wanted to create a contemporary black exhibition space, or as she put it, “a new gallery providing an alternative approach to viewing.” JAM placed emphasis on live events such as readings, lectures, and experimental performance pieces like Senga Nengudi’s Nylon Mesh and Maren Hassinger. Bryant also employed and exhibited her friends, like Lorraine O’Grady who handled the galleries public relations while at the same time demonstrating JAM’s “alternative approach to viewing” in her own works. Art is…, one of O’Grady’s most popular pieces, was a performance held at the 1983 African-American Day Parade in Harlem. Equipped with an empty 15 foot high golden frame mounted on a float, she declared “That’s right, that’s what art is, we’re the art!”

LINDA GOODE BRYANT DWIGHT CARTER, 1974

NYLON MESH AND MAREN HASSINGER SENGA NENGUDI, 1977

ART IS... LORRAINE Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;GRADY, 1983

Dark continent of the subways If he wasn’t building Afro-Futurist statues in his apartment/studio space called “The Battle Station,” Rammellzee was out tagging the A train at Far Rockaway. Due to the popularity of graffiti in the late 80’s, he and his contemporaries like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat all started their careers spraying works of art across their neighborhoods. But it was Rammellzee who invented his renowned theory of Gothic Futurism. “Gothic for the dark continent of the subways, Futurism

for the practice of mechanism.” In His treatise, Ionic treatise Gothic Futurism assassin knowledges of the remanipulated square point’s one to 720° to 1440°, he describes Gothic Futurism as theory that uses language as a technology to fight the oppressive nature of the alphabet. This thinking can be seen within his sculpture, collage, and graffiti work in which he constantly tries to deconstruct language.

RAMMELLZEE GEORGE DUBOSE, 1988

Pageant In the 1990 film Paris is Burning Jennie Livingston chronicles the lives of the young queer New Yorkers who pioneered voguing culture. The film stars an all black and latinx cast, examining the immersive and intersectional experience of the underground pageants known as balls. These performances have peaked the

“Reading is the real art form of insults.”

interest of many gender theorists and are often used to study the theory of gender performativity. The pageants reveal the performative nature of gender through parody, as the participants parody the performance of everyday men and women.

“You get in a smart crack, and everyone laughs and kikis because you’ve found a ﬂaw and exaggerated it, then you’ve got a good read going.”

PARIS IS BURNING JENNIE LIVINGSTON, 1990

FIGHT THE POWER PUBLIC ENEMY, 1989

AFRICAN AMERICAN FLAG DAVID HAMMONS, 1990

The revolution will not be televised, will not be televised, will not be televised, will not be televised. The revolution will be no re-run brothers; The revolution will be live.

Gil-Scott Heron

Sources

Antonelli, Paola, and Michelle Millar Fisher. Items: Is Fashion Modern? The Museum Of Modern Art, New York, 2018. The Art Assignment. “Cases for Political Art | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios.” YouTube, YouTube, 15 Dec. 2016. Baldwin, James. Giovanni’s Room. Dial Press, New York, 1956. Brumfitt, Stuart. “JAM: New York’s Black Power Art Gallery.” Amuse, Vice, 12 July 2017. Bruntel, Andy, and Felipe Lima. “The RAMM:ELL:ZEE.” Vimeo, Museum Of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, 19 Mar. 2018. Crash Course. “Langston Hughes & the Harlem Renaissance: Crash Course Literature 215.” YouTube, YouTube, 5 June 2014. Hughes, Langston. “When the Negro Was in Vogue.” The Big Sea, Alfred A. Knopf Inc., 1940. Livingston, Jennie, director. Paris Is Burning. Miramax, 1990. Locke, Alain. The New Negro. Touchstone, 1925. Martin, Douglas. “John H. Johnson, 87, Founder of Ebony, Dies.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Aug. 2005. Morris, Catherine, and Rujeko Hockley. We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85: A Sourcebook. The Brooklyn Museum, 2017. Morrison, Toni. Rootedness: The Ancestor as Foundation. What Moves at the Margin: Selected Nonfiction, Jackson : University Press of Mississippi, 2008. Newton, Huey P. “Black Capitalism Re-Analyzed.” The Black Panther, 9 Aug. 1971. Rammellzee. “Excerpts from Rammellzee’s Iconic Treatise.” Excerpts from Rammellzee’s Iconic treatise Gothic Futurism, Post.thing.net. Smith, Robert, and Sonari Glinton. “Episode 628: This Ad’s For You.” NPR, NPR, 6 Sept. 2017.

Wagner, Meaghan. “The Generation Gap: Langston Hughes and James Baldwin in Letters.” Signature Reads, Signature Reads, 29 July 2015.