The Douglas Experience
The Kimbrough Ryan Foundation presents the revolutionary art of Emory Douglas in a multi-media experience which will include Liberation Art workshops, artist talks, and social events. The < xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" prefix="st1" namespace="">Douglas experience contributes to the history of recognition of revolutionary art by displaying the artist’s work, providing educational and cultural programming, and leading communities and audiences to action and service. This exhibition represents the experience of art as a tool for social change, linking the ideology of political perspective and the visual interpretation of the struggle for human rights. Emory Douglas’ revolutionary art transcends the African American experience or one that is political to tap into something inherent in the condition of all people, the struggle for humanity and self-awareness. The exhibit strives to be aware and responsive to the current and future developments in the provision of information services as they relate to the broader mission of bringing power to people and communities. In addition, the exhibit seeks to meet the intellectual and cultural needs of each individual community it serves, and provide access to United States government information consistent with the mandates prescribed by federal law.
< xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" prefix="o" namespace="">
The Art of Emory Douglas
Emory Douglas’ work offers a compelling model of how art may be used to provoke a new political consciousness and function as a catalyst for social change. As the Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party, which he joined in 1967 at the age of 22, Emory Douglas established an iconic visual style that communicated the organization's commitment to activism and social justice and created a powerful identifiable aesthetic that played a significant role in mobilizing a community.
Inspired by Malcolm X's call to resist violence and brutality by any means necessary, the Black Panther Party was among the most radical and significant American Activist groups of the 20th century. Founded in 1966 by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in Oakland, California, the Party's mission to attain justice and autonomy for all oppressed people was accompanied by an equal desire to improve their quality of life through economic, political, and social empowerment. The ideals and aspirations of the party were communicated to the global audience through The Black Panther newspaper, for which Douglas served as art director until its discontinuation in the early 1980s. Trained as a commercial artist at City College of San Francisco and ideologically aligned with the growing black liberation struggle, he contributed hundreds of provocative drawings that brought the radical spirit of the party to life.
Employing a style that is boldly confrontational and conceptually efficient, Douglas transformed an impressive range of materials - including the newspaper's tabloid-size back-page poster - into revolutionary tools through the inclusion of images that were highly political and often subversive. Together, these works provide a poignant visual record of the history of the Black Panther Party and the development of its evolving mission. Earlier drawings provide a sense of empowerment to the oppressed, with representations of social protest manifested through figures of gun-toting men and women and trademark ironic caricatures of racist oppressors. The pig, which functioned as the predominant avatar for authority, is among the most indelible of Douglas's mordant motifs. As Bobby Seale wrote, "It was largely Emory's images that communicated and helped the average protester and grassroots organizer define the phenomenon of who and what our oppressors were." Later drawings feature humanistic representations of community pride, economic development, and the party's many social programs.
While Douglas's work focuses on the plight of African Americans in the social and political systems of the United States, it can also be considered within the context of the larger worldwide struggle against oppression - particularly in terms of the message and style of the protest graphics of Cuba, Vietnam, and Africa. Like the Black Panther Party, which supported the efforts of analogous national and international groups, Douglas's work provides a visual link to global efforts for political and social reform. It can also be associated with the anti-establishment attitude and satirical traditions that characterize earlier political artistic movements such as Dada and the Russian avant-garde.
Douglas has dedicated his life to the struggle for social justice and is perhaps the most prolific graphic agitator of the black liberation movement. Through the efficacy and immediacy of his extraordinary images, the illustration of the conditions that generated a revolutionary response, and the collective empowerment they have inspired, Douglas has not only exemplified how art can facilitate and support revolution, he has also shown how art can change the world.
Emory Douglas Exhibit at MOCA in Los Angeles
The most recent incarnation of Emory Douglas’ work on display was the Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas, at the MOCA Pacific Design Center, from October 21, 2007 to January 20 of this year.
The exhibit was organized by MOCA Ahmanson Curatorial Fellow Sam Durant and included approximately 150 of Douglas’ most influential works, which serve as a testament to the efficacy of visual art to communicate a political position. Events and programming for the exhibit included guided tours and panel discussions, artist talks, political poser-making workshops and film screenings.
Art Education Dialogue Action
Recent data by the National Endowment for the Arts is but one example proving the legitimacy of artistic expression as a catalyst of social change and civic participation. The Kimbrough Ryan Foundation and community partners will host free multi-media programming devoted to Emory Douglas’ work as opportunities for young people under 30 and their families to empower themselves to social change through artistic expression. Offerings will include artist talks; political poster-making workshops and street team distribution campaigns; youth speak-outs with local elected officials; and social events for all ages. Please visit the venue menu for more information on where activities will take place.
Party For Your Right To Fight
The producers of the Emory Douglas Experience initiate that artistic expression and dialogue, complemented by multi-media programming and social networking opportunities contribute to social action and a more engaged crop of young voters. In short, the events celebrating Emory Douglas’ work and liberating artistic expression is an opportunity to party for one’s right to fight.
Over the summer, Jason Page and A. Baraka Scott propose to produce a series of 4 salon gatherings hosted by hip hop M.C. and producer Jemini. These soul cafes will take place on Monday evenings throughout the summer beginning on July 21 August 4, 18 and will be produced in conjunction with the upcoming Emory Douglas art exhibit.
These salons will cater to artists, activists, social entrepreneurs and multi-media experts in search of social networking opportunities in a relaxing after work environment. The music will be soulful and include two sets each night of Jemini’s work, a band, and rotating DJs. When appropriate, there will be film screenings and multi-media offerings.
http://emorydouglasbk.googlepages.com/home
The Kimbrough Ryan Foundation presents the revolutionary art of Emory Douglas in a multi-media experience which will include Liberation Art workshops, artist talks, and social events. The < xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" prefix="st1" namespace="">Douglas experience contributes to the history of recognition of revolutionary art by displaying the artist’s work, providing educational and cultural programming, and leading communities and audiences to action and service. This exhibition represents the experience of art as a tool for social change, linking the ideology of political perspective and the visual interpretation of the struggle for human rights. Emory Douglas’ revolutionary art transcends the African American experience or one that is political to tap into something inherent in the condition of all people, the struggle for humanity and self-awareness. The exhibit strives to be aware and responsive to the current and future developments in the provision of information services as they relate to the broader mission of bringing power to people and communities. In addition, the exhibit seeks to meet the intellectual and cultural needs of each individual community it serves, and provide access to United States government information consistent with the mandates prescribed by federal law.
< xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" prefix="o" namespace="">
The Art of Emory Douglas
Emory Douglas’ work offers a compelling model of how art may be used to provoke a new political consciousness and function as a catalyst for social change. As the Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party, which he joined in 1967 at the age of 22, Emory Douglas established an iconic visual style that communicated the organization's commitment to activism and social justice and created a powerful identifiable aesthetic that played a significant role in mobilizing a community.
Inspired by Malcolm X's call to resist violence and brutality by any means necessary, the Black Panther Party was among the most radical and significant American Activist groups of the 20th century. Founded in 1966 by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in Oakland, California, the Party's mission to attain justice and autonomy for all oppressed people was accompanied by an equal desire to improve their quality of life through economic, political, and social empowerment. The ideals and aspirations of the party were communicated to the global audience through The Black Panther newspaper, for which Douglas served as art director until its discontinuation in the early 1980s. Trained as a commercial artist at City College of San Francisco and ideologically aligned with the growing black liberation struggle, he contributed hundreds of provocative drawings that brought the radical spirit of the party to life.
Employing a style that is boldly confrontational and conceptually efficient, Douglas transformed an impressive range of materials - including the newspaper's tabloid-size back-page poster - into revolutionary tools through the inclusion of images that were highly political and often subversive. Together, these works provide a poignant visual record of the history of the Black Panther Party and the development of its evolving mission. Earlier drawings provide a sense of empowerment to the oppressed, with representations of social protest manifested through figures of gun-toting men and women and trademark ironic caricatures of racist oppressors. The pig, which functioned as the predominant avatar for authority, is among the most indelible of Douglas's mordant motifs. As Bobby Seale wrote, "It was largely Emory's images that communicated and helped the average protester and grassroots organizer define the phenomenon of who and what our oppressors were." Later drawings feature humanistic representations of community pride, economic development, and the party's many social programs.
While Douglas's work focuses on the plight of African Americans in the social and political systems of the United States, it can also be considered within the context of the larger worldwide struggle against oppression - particularly in terms of the message and style of the protest graphics of Cuba, Vietnam, and Africa. Like the Black Panther Party, which supported the efforts of analogous national and international groups, Douglas's work provides a visual link to global efforts for political and social reform. It can also be associated with the anti-establishment attitude and satirical traditions that characterize earlier political artistic movements such as Dada and the Russian avant-garde.
Douglas has dedicated his life to the struggle for social justice and is perhaps the most prolific graphic agitator of the black liberation movement. Through the efficacy and immediacy of his extraordinary images, the illustration of the conditions that generated a revolutionary response, and the collective empowerment they have inspired, Douglas has not only exemplified how art can facilitate and support revolution, he has also shown how art can change the world.
Emory Douglas Exhibit at MOCA in Los Angeles
The most recent incarnation of Emory Douglas’ work on display was the Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas, at the MOCA Pacific Design Center, from October 21, 2007 to January 20 of this year.
The exhibit was organized by MOCA Ahmanson Curatorial Fellow Sam Durant and included approximately 150 of Douglas’ most influential works, which serve as a testament to the efficacy of visual art to communicate a political position. Events and programming for the exhibit included guided tours and panel discussions, artist talks, political poser-making workshops and film screenings.
Art Education Dialogue Action
Recent data by the National Endowment for the Arts is but one example proving the legitimacy of artistic expression as a catalyst of social change and civic participation. The Kimbrough Ryan Foundation and community partners will host free multi-media programming devoted to Emory Douglas’ work as opportunities for young people under 30 and their families to empower themselves to social change through artistic expression. Offerings will include artist talks; political poster-making workshops and street team distribution campaigns; youth speak-outs with local elected officials; and social events for all ages. Please visit the venue menu for more information on where activities will take place.
Party For Your Right To Fight
The producers of the Emory Douglas Experience initiate that artistic expression and dialogue, complemented by multi-media programming and social networking opportunities contribute to social action and a more engaged crop of young voters. In short, the events celebrating Emory Douglas’ work and liberating artistic expression is an opportunity to party for one’s right to fight.
Over the summer, Jason Page and A. Baraka Scott propose to produce a series of 4 salon gatherings hosted by hip hop M.C. and producer Jemini. These soul cafes will take place on Monday evenings throughout the summer beginning on July 21 August 4, 18 and will be produced in conjunction with the upcoming Emory Douglas art exhibit.
These salons will cater to artists, activists, social entrepreneurs and multi-media experts in search of social networking opportunities in a relaxing after work environment. The music will be soulful and include two sets each night of Jemini’s work, a band, and rotating DJs. When appropriate, there will be film screenings and multi-media offerings.
http://emorydouglasbk.googlepages.com/home
1 comment:
Well written article.
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