Talks & Conversations

E. Ethelbert Miller, Black Magic and the Black Arts Movement

C. Daniel Dawson, Amiri #10, 1970, gelatin silver print, Collection of Charles Daniel Dawson, courtesy of Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond L.2023.20.3

C. Daniel Dawson, Amiri #10, 1970, gelatin silver print, Collection of Charles Daniel Dawson, courtesy of Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond L.2023.20.3

C. Daniel Dawson, Amiri #10, 1970, gelatin silver print, Collection of Charles Daniel Dawson, courtesy of Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond L.2023.20.3

In honor of the exhibition Photography and the Black Arts Movement: 1955-1985, literary activist E. Ethelbert Miller presents on Amiri Baraka’s Black Magic Poetry 1961-1967 and the influence of the Black Arts Movement on his own life and work.

About the presenter

E. Ethelbert Miller is a Washington, DC-based literary activist and author of two memoirs and several poetry collections. His recent honors include a Congressional Award (2020) from Congressman Jamie Raskin, the Peace and Justice Studies Association’s Howard Zinn Lifetime Achievement Award (2022), and the Furious Flower Lifetime Achievement Award (2023). Miller was also nominated for a Grammy in 2023 for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album.

About Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985

Uniting around civil rights and freedom movements of the 1960s and 1970s, many visual artists, poets, playwrights, musicians, photographers, and filmmakers expressed hope and dignity through their art. These creative efforts became known as the Black Arts Movement.

Photography was central to the movement, attracting all kinds of artists—from street photographers and photojournalists to painters and graphic designers. This expansive exhibition presents 150 examples tracing the Black Arts Movement from its roots to its lingering impacts, from 1955 to 1985. Explore the bold vision shaped by generations of artists including Billy Abernathy, Romare Bearden, Kwame Brathwaite, Roy DeCarava, Doris Derby, Emory Douglas, Barkley Hendricks, Barbara McCullough, Betye Saar, and Ming Smith.

Image caption: C. Daniel Dawson, Amiri #10, 1970, gelatin silver print, Collection of Charles Daniel Dawson, courtesy of Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond L.2023.20.3

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