Romare BeardenAmerican artist and political activist

Biography Born in 1911 in North Carolina

Attended Lincoln University, Boston College and NYU

Had a career as a social worker and worked on art at night and on weekends

Specialized in collage, painting, and political activism

Married Nanette Rohan in 1954 whom he (and his 3 beloved cats) lived with for the remainder of their lives

Died in 1988 in New York City

Inspirations Harlem Renaissance-

cultural movement in the 1920s called the “new negro movement” made up of black writers, intellectuals, visual artists and musicians

African American history

Jazz and Blues music (Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald)

Collage Materials Photographs

Magazine pieces

Colored paper

Foil

Art posters

Art in Activism Romare Bearden did not

agree with the how the media portrayed blacks, so he took matters into his own hands.

He created his own imagery painting a different picture, one that praised the black community and celebrated its culture, and shared it with the world through his art.

Cosmopolitan

Men’s Health

People

Our TaskWhat kind of imagery do we have in the media

today?

What messages are the images in magazines and newspapers sending?

Are these messages negative or positive?

Using Romare Bearden’s style of reusing images, create a collage that sends a message that your group wants to share with the world.