29th Annual Student Research Conference
New Expressions of Black Identity: African American Art in Los Angeles from 1968 to 1973
Duncan W. Holahan
Dr. Julia DeLancey and Dr. Sara Orel, Faculty Mentors
Between 1968 to 1973 in Los Angeles, African American art shifted away from traditional ideas of how to express the black identity. During that time period, artists such as David Hammons and Betye Saar used non-traditional methods of creating public art such as quilting and mixed-media works using found objects, to question not only what it meant to be black, but how that experience related to the rest of America as a whole. Through these works the artists created scenarios which both questioned whether or not African Americans were truly an equal part of American culture, and also re-claimed stereotypes to assert their power. The ideas that these works promoted helped lay the groundwork for discussions of what it means to be black in America, a conversation that continues to this day in contemporary visual culture.
Keywords: Art, African American, Black identity, Civil Rights, Los Angeles, David Hammons, Betye Saar, Visual Culture
Topic(s):Art - Art History
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: -3
Location: OP 2210
Time: 3:00