Encyclopedia of African American Artists
By (Author) dele jegede
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Greenwood Press
20th March 2009
United States
General
Non Fiction
Ethnic studies
704.0396073
Hardback
293
African American heritage is rich with stories of family, community, faith, love, adaptation and adjustment, grief, and suffering, all captured in a variety of media by artists intimately familiar with them. From traditional media of painting and artists such as Horace Pippin and Faith Ringgold, to photography of Gordon Parks, and new media of Sam Gilliam and Martin Puryear (installation art), the African American experience is reflected across generations and works. Eight pages of color plates and black and white images throughout the book introduce both favorite and new artists to students and adult readers alike. African American heritage is rich with stories of family, community, faith, love, adaptation and adjustment, grief, and suffering, all captured in a variety of media by artists intimately familiar with them. From traditional media of painting and artists such as Horace Pippin and Faith Ringgold, to photography of Gordon Parks, and new media of Sam Gilliam and Martin Puryear (installation art), the African American experience is reflected across generations and works. Eight pages of color plates and black and white images throughout the book introduce both favorite and new artists to students and adult readers alike. A sampling of the artists included: Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Achamyele Debela, and Melvin Edwards.
Jegede (art, Miami U., Ohio) profiles 66 black artists from the African Diaspora who have worked and lived in the US, and in many continued to do so. They work in a diverse array of media, he says, and manifest an even more diverse range of ideas, and have many profound contributions to world art and enriched the creative fabric of American culture, but who have attracted little attention either from scholars or from exhibition and gallery professionals. Eight pages of color plates illustrate, along with monochrome photographs of many of the artists. * Reference & Research Book News *
Encyclopedia of African American Artists provides a solid overview of this important facet of the American art world and has a place in most academic libraries that support art programs as well as in large public libraries. * Booklist *
This encyclopedia gives readers an idea of the broad spectrum of the African American community and its contribution to American art. Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers. * Choice *
This guide will serve a wide audience in high school, public, and academic libraries. * Lawrence Looks at Books *
Jegede offers a rigorously researched and documented yet intimate reference. His book successfully addresses a void of credible academic work on the artists covered. . . . The Encyclopedia of African American Artists is a timely and necessary resource. Entries are lucid and refreshingly accessible though academic. * Reference Reviews *
dele jegede is the chairperson for the Department of Art at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. He holds a PhD in art history from Indiana University, has published numerous articles, and has participated in many group shows and exhibitions.