The Black Arts Movement Essay examples -- African Americans History Es

The Black Arts Movement The Black Arts movement refers to a period of â€Å"furious flowering† of African American creativity beginning in the mid-1960’s and continuing through much of the 1970’s (Perceptions of Black). Linked both chronologically and ideologically with the Black Power Movement, The BAM recognized the idea of two cultural Americas: one black and one white. The BAM pressed for the creation of a distinctive Black Aesthetic in which black artists created for black audiences. The movement saw artistic production as the key to revising Black American’s perceptions of themselves, thus the Black Aesthetic was believed to be an integral component of the economic, political, and cultural empowerment of the Black community. The concepts of Black Power, Nationalism, Community, and Performance all influenced the formation of this national movement, and it proliferated through community institutions, theatrical performance, literature, and music. The symbolic birth of the Black Arts Movement is generally dated to 1965 and coincides with a major transformation in the life of its most prominent leader, Amiri Baraka, formally LeRoi Jones. Early in his career LeRoi Jones won notoriety and critical acclaim for his plays, specifically the Dutchmen, while living in Greenwich Village at the heart of the Beat Scene. However, beginning in 1964 he underwent a personal transformation which resulted in his distancing himself from white culture. LeRoi Jones divorced his white wife, moved to Harlem, changed his name, and adopted a Black Nationalist View. Shortly after Malcolm X’s assassination in February of 1965, Amiri Baraka joined forces with Charles and William Patterson, Askia Toure, Clarence Moure, an... ...) – Part 1.† The Black Collegian Online. 28 Nov 2004. http://www.black-collegian.com/african/bam1_200shtml Kalamu ya Salaam. â€Å"Historical Background of the Black Arts Movement (BAM)– Part2† The Black Collegian Online. 28 Nov. 2004. http://www.black-collegian.com/African/bam2_200shtml Modern American Poetry. Ed. Cary Nelson. 29. Nov. 2004. http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/index.html Neal, Larry. â€Å"The Black Arts Movement.† The Black Aesthetic. Ed. Addison Gayle, Jr.New York: Doubleday &Company, Inc., 1971. 272 - 290. Perception of Black: African American Visual Art and the Black Arts Movement. University of Virginia. 28 Nov. 2004. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~UG01/hughes/blackart/html Smith, David Lionel. â€Å"The Black Arts Movement and Its Critics.† American Literary History. 3.1 (Spring 1991): 94-109.