Screengrab courtesy of Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times
BAC is back in session and on October 17th we went to see the Emory Douglas show at the New Museum. Emory Douglas was a member of the Black Panther Party and he was known as "the "revolutionary artist of the movement."
His artwork was first published in the Black Panther newspaper, which advocated programs they initiated, while discussing politics and police brutality. Douglas uses a combination of printmaking, collage and drawing techniques to create simple yet powerful statements about the events of the times. The Black Panther Party started in the 1960's during the Civil Rights Movement in response to discrimination against African Americans, Hispanics, Immigrants and Gays and Lesbians.
Some things we noticed and learned from the exhibition are:
"What caught my attention was how many Black Panther's are still incarcerated to this day, for being activists and speaking there minds. Also Douglas' images are just, BAM! There's no censorship, they're very direct." - Edwin
"It was a big surprise to learn about all the public initiatives and services the Black Panthers provided for the community. They had free transportation for the elderly and a free breakfast program for kids." - Naralyn
"A map detailing the number of Black Panther Community Centers in the United States showed the divisions within our country. The south had fewer community centers, while the west and east coasts had many." - Carlos
"The Black Panthers rallied to free B.P. prisoners and provided lawyers, who fought to make them innocent and absolve them of crimes charged against them." - Karina
"I always thought the Black Panthers were violent. I never knew they had lawyers in their group, and that they knew it was legal to carry unloaded guns to protect themselves from police brutality." - Kevin
To learn more about Emory Douglas and the Black Panthers click here: http://www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/415
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