African American Representational Art

African American Representational Art: Online Videos

TFAO suggests these online videos:

American art from the Howard University Collection is part of a national touring exhibition. This major exhibition and conservation project was a three-year collaborative effort by a network of cultural institutions. It was organized by the Addison Gallery of American Art and The Studio Museum of Harlem, in association with the Williamstown Art Conservation Center, Howard University, and five other Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Howard University Libraries presents videos in which Tritobia Benjamin, Ph.D. discusses African American artists including Edward M Bannister, Romare Bearden, Alexander Calder, Elizabeth Catlett and many others.

from Brightcove.tv a Jan 9, 2007 video tribute to Gordon Parks (5:45)

The California/International Arts Foundation, founded in 1981, organizes and tours contemporary art exhibitions. The Foundation initiated artsconversations.org as a permanent archive for programming seen on www.netropolitan.org. Dozens of artist interviews are contained in the visual arts section of the archives. On June 20, 2002 Lyn Kienholz & Rohini Talalla conducted a six-part interview with Betye Saar.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum's Clarice Smith Distinguished Lectures in American Art: presents David Driskell - An Introspective Art Account: Personal Entitlement October 10, 2007. Distinguished scholar and curator David Driskell is cited as one of the world's leading authorities on the subject of African American Art. He currently holds the title of Distinguished University Professor of Art, Emeritus, at the University of Maryland, College Park. Upon his retirement from the University of Maryland in 1998, The David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the African Diaspora was founded to promote his scholarship and service to the University. Driskell is the recipient of ten honorary doctoral degrees in art, and has authored numerous books, essays, and catalogues including Narratives of African American Art and Identity: The David C. Driskell Collection, published in 1998. In 1997, he received the National Humanities Medal from President Clinton. A highly regarded artist working in collage and mixed media, Driskell has exhibited his work in museums and galleries worldwide. Text courtesy Google Video. More Info on the Smithsonian American Art Museum Site:

Georgia Public Broadcasting's State of the Arts is a one-hour quarterly arts series. Within its programming are segments that introduce artists and take viewers "behind-the-scenes" for art exhibits. The host, writer and co-producer of the series is Hamilton Northcutt. As of August, 2005 there are streaming video presentations available online covering the first four episodes. Excerpts on American art include "High Museum: The Art of Romare Bearden."

James Biggers and Friends Opening Remarks 1 min - Feb 10, 2008 - Google Video says: "A collection of African American art works was displayed at Gaston College in Dallas, NC. during the month of January and February 2008. James Biggers invited artists from South and North Carolina to participate in a show entitled "James Biggers and Friends". Mr. James Biggers, is the nephew of the late Dr. John Biggers and an instructor at the college. To learn more about the show and John Biggers go to: www.gastoncollegeafricanamericanart.blogspot.com."

Koehnline Museum of Art's Oakton Art Video Archives offers videos produced in connection with exhibitions. One of the archived videos is "Convergence: Jewish and African American Artists in Depression Era Chicago" [6:48].

In 2002 the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia produced a 4-part video documentary with commentary by John Howett, Professor of Art History, Emory University, Atlanta, GA on an important Georgia corporate art collection. Dr. Howett connects the "amalgam of artistic influences" of historic art with the work of contemporary Georgia artists. Another video discusses a commissioned work by African American artist Benny Andrews

Otis College presents the series: Otis Legacy Project: Interviews of Distinguished Otis Alumni. Alison Saar attended Otis in 1981. She is well known as a sculptor although she works in several mediums. Her work generally deals with gender issues. Alison was interviewed by Otis students in March 2008. [5:25] Text from Otis College.

The Ben Maltz Gallery at Otis College does a series called Otis Speaks. Kerry James Marshall spoke to students and the public September 7th 2008. He spoke about his life, his influences, and his art illustrated by images of his work. [6:49] Text from Otis College.

PBS's two-season television series Art-21, Art in the Twenty-First Century welcome page explains that the series is "the only series on television to focus exclusively on contemporary visual art and artists in the United States, and it uses the medium of television to provide an experience of the visual arts that goes far beyond a gallery visit. Fascinating and intimate footage allows the viewer to observe the artists at work, watch their process as they transform inspiration into art, and hear their thoughts as they grapple with the physical and visual challenges of achieving their artistic visions." The Art-21 web site contains video clips relating to each of the many featured artists including Fred Wilson and Martin Puryear.

PBS maintains an online archive of individual segments from NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Several segments covering the visual arts are available by video search in the Arts & Entertainment category by keyword "Jeffrey Brown". Arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown reports October 27, 2003 on the art of Romare Bearden.

University of California - Santa Barbara's Cultural Awareness Gallery presents video interviews with Professor Judith Wilson, Ph.D, Art Historian, specializing in African American Art, University of California, Irvine and Professor Albert Boime, Ph.D, Art Historian, University of California, Los Angeles speak on African American art. (click on the "Galleries" link to reach the page containing the video interviews.)

Visionary artist Leon Kennedy discusses painter John Biggers 4 min - Sep 10, 2007.

The WGBH/Boston Forum Network is an audio and video streaming web site dedicated to curating and serving live and on-demand lectures, including a number of videos on Art and Architecture. Partners include a number of museums, colleges, universities and other cultural organizations.

Harvard Graduate School of Education partnered with the Forum Network for:Conversation with Edmund Barry Gaither, (1 hour, 24 minutes) a lecture by Edmund Gaither, director, Center Afro-American Artists and co-founder of the African American Museum Association, discusses his experiences as an art historian, lecturer, writer, and advocate for African American artists. [April 10, 2002]

Museum of Afro-American History partnered with the Forum Network for Looking For Mr. Gilbert: African-American Photographer, (55 minutes) a lecture by John Hanson Mitchell., author, presents slides of works by Robert Alexander Gilbert, who was a 19th century African American artist. Mitchell talks about the life of this unassuming Renaissance man who took haunting photos of the Boston landscape and its people. [March 30., 2005]

High Museum of Art partnered with the Forum Network for Harlem Renaissance and Paris, a lecture by Richard A. Long, professor emeritus, IDS, Emory

[February 17, 2007]

WGBH/Boston also presents a 3-minute QuickTime video clip in which John Wilson talks about his sculpture Eternal Presence, being installed on the lawn of the National Center of Afro-American Artists in Roxbury. The original air date of the program containing the segment was October 1, 1987. In another 2 1/2 minute clip, artist Sidewalk Sam works with Boston schoolchildren to create a mural.

From YouTube "TRIBUTE TO AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTIST-JACOB LAWRENCE" [08:32]

From YouTube "The Great American Epic: Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series" at the Phillips Collection [01:31]

A contributor to YouTube named Cybelephotography combined music and photographs by famous photographers into 55 "Masters of Photography" videos including "Masters of Photography - Gordon Parks" [05:36]

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