170 likes | 290 Views
The Harlem Renaissance. Mr. O’Brien Spring 2014. The First Great Migration. Who? Black Americans (1.6 million of them) Where? From the south, moving north When? 1910-1930 Why? To leave the segregated, racist south and find better jobs in the north. New York, from Harlem.
E N D
The Harlem Renaissance Mr. O’Brien Spring 2014
The First Great Migration • Who? • Black Americans (1.6 million of them) • Where? • From the south, moving north • When? • 1910-1930 • Why? • To leave the segregated, racist south and find better jobs in the north
New York, from Harlem “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2VCwBzGdPM
BIG QUESTION: What is culture, and why do we feel the need to express it?
What is culture? “The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively.” • Exists only in our minds • Ever-changing • Multi-layered • Individually chosen
The Lindy Hop! • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahoJReiCaPk • This is the coolest dance you will ever see..... • EVER.
The Lindy Hop! • Dance was a form of cultural expression • The Lindy Hop was a unique creation by Black Americans • Connected to other cultural mediums! • Jazz and dance were mutually influential • New dances were also portrayed in art
“Drawing in Two Colors” By Winold Reiss
Is cultural expression in music similar to the same in poetry? “Straight Outta Compton” by N.W.A. “Express Yourself” by N.W.A. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u31FO_4d9TY • http://youtu.be/GGmbUXqHPk4
How do we express ourselves in poetry? • “Night Funeral in Harlem” by Langston Hughes • http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15613 • “Dream Variations” by Langston Hughes • http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15610
Aaron Douglas "...Our problem is to conceive, develop, establish an art era. Not white art painting black...let's bare our arms and plunge them deep through laughter, through pain, through sorrow, through hope, through disappointment, into the very depths of the souls of our people and drag forth material crude, rough, neglected. Then let's sing it, dance it, write it, paint it.”
BIG PICTURE • Harlem’s dance, art, music and literature both reflected and were reflections of Black American culture • Culture influenced dance, art, music and literature just as dance, art, music and literature influenced culture • We express ourselves for many different reasons • Often to celebrate or escape from our lives • To teach others who we are through universally valued mediums
Why I chose this assignment • I believe that in order to study another culture • Whether in history or in life… • We must first: 1. Come to grasp what makes up OUR OWN cultural identity 2. Practice sharing said identity, so that we can reveal ourselves to those who reveal themselves to us
Your Assignment… • Is to create an original piece to express your own cultural identity. • This isn’t your entire life story, just one theme you can draw on for inspiration • This may be in the form of an art piece, poem, dance or narrative • I will not grade on your artistic or poetic ability, but rather, your demonstrated effort and connection to the medium’s style in the Harlem Renaissance • You will write a one-paged reflection to introduce your project and explain its connections
Possible Ideas for Inspiration • First think about how you would describe your cultural identity to a stranger • Questions a stranger might ask you: • Where do you live? • What is your ethnicity? • What are your hobbies? • With whom do you associate yourself? • THEN, think about how your chosen theme ties into your cultural group