The Great Migration: Harlem Artists Guild, and the 306 Group

The harsh impact of Jim Crow laws in the South of the United States triggered a mass exodus of  Southern Black Americans to northern cities seeking equality and economic opportunity. Cities like Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia were well known magnets for what is now known as The Great Migration. Less populous cities like Baltimore, St. Louis, and Kansas City also built up thriving Black neighborhoods, though the journey north was not an easy road.

This talk will focus on designers and artists from New York and Chicago, and highlight the work of Charles Alston, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Gwendolyn Knight, Louise E Jefferson, that form a multi-generational network of Black Excellence.