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In Against the Odds: artists of the Harlem Renaissance (1994),
a PBS documentary, the Harlem Renaissance was analyzed and depicted as
more than a simple artistic movement that began during the 1920s. Both
blacks and whites particpated in the renaissance, although they contributed
to the movement in different ways. It was through the Harlem
Renaissance that some black artists were able to depict
the "New Negro." In this manner, the artists were able to
combat racial sterotypes, such as the "mammy" and "coon", and produce images
of virtuous humane black folk. While philosophers such as Alain Locke,
the first African American Rhode's Scholar, argued that the artists of
the Harlem Renaissance should incorporate African motifs into their art
work, other artists such as Willaim Edward Scott and Laura Wheeler Warren,
who felt disconnected from Africa, opted not to incorporate such themes
in their work. Locke dismissed and referred to such artists as "traditional."
Regardless of whether artists chose to include African motifs, racial expressions,
or traditional themes most of their work remained unsold.
As stated earlier whites particpated in the Harlem Renaissance.
Whites were found both in the night life of Harlem and the art shows that
displayed the work of black artists. Original works of the Harlem
artists were displayed at the Harmon Institute, located in Manhatten and
founded by William E. Harmon, during the 1920s. Many black leaders
sought alliances with wealthy white patrons, who donnated money to the
movement and "demanded out a type of benevolent censurship."
Although both blacks and whites attended the cabarets and dance halls of
Harlem, blacks, with the exception of black musicians and entertainers,
were often excluded from some of the "best" and popular clubs that welcomed
whites. |