-
These year ranges are very general.
:Artists involved in this movement used their art as activism.
:They desired political change for themselves and others.
:They also meant to celebrate their own cultural pride, self-determination and economic empowerment. -
These year ranges are very general.
:This art movement began in Harlem, NY but quickly spread throughout the US.
:This movement shared an ideology with the Black Power Movement.
:Stressed racial pride and self-determination for people of all African descent.
: Supported the advance of Black values, Pan-Africanism, Black Nationalism and racial pride. -
Jae Jarrell, Revolutionary Suit,1968; wool, suede, and pigment;37x25x12 inches, Kavi Gupta Museum, Chicago, IL.
:A plain grey suit with a colorful bandolier with brightly colored "bullets".
: A remake of a suit worn by Angela Davis's suit and given a bandolier.
: Angela Davis was an activist that gained acclaim during the height of the Black Power Movement and protests of the 60s (She still works at this today.) -
Jae Jarrell, Ebony Family,1968, velvet dress with velvet collage, 38.5x38x.5 inches, Location unknown
: Uses the "Coolade" colors that were common for AfriCOBRA artworks. Bright pigments that were based on the colors of Kool-Aid.
: Representative of a happy black family, something that the Black Power Movement and Black Arts Movement wanted to see as part of their goals.
: -
Still running in the present day*
(African Commune Of Bad Relevant Artists).
:Founded by a group of influential black artists who intended on helping define a "black aesthetic" that was located in the South side of Chicago.
:While still using many features of the Black Arts movement for their own, and sharing a belief in black liberation and self-determination; they did also develop their own style of art that became heavily influential within the Black Arts Movement as a whole. -
Faith Ringgold, Blacklight Series #10:Flag for the Moon: Die Nigger; 1969, oil on canvas, 36x48, Glenstone; Potomac, Maryland.
: Ringgold meant to draw attention to the fact that during the space race when they're spending enormous amounts of money on the space program, many black families and communities suffered from a lack of resources.
:
: -
Ester Hernandez, La Virgen de Guadalupe Defendiendo de Los Derechos de Los Xicanos, 1975, Aquatint/Etching,15x17inches, Smithsonian Art Museum.
: As from the title, the use of religious imagery in support of the community and culture is a common theme of Chicano art.
: Specifically a feminist tilt as she is actively fighting physically, something usually associated with men. -
Yolanda Lopez, Guadalupe Triptych, 1978, oil pastel and paint on paper, 30x22inches, location unknown.
: This triptych shows 3 generations of Lopez's family. Herself, her mother and her grandmother all framed by the mandorla.
: Each woman is shown replete in the religious imagery of the Virgin of Guadalupe while also inputting their own personality and action/pose. Letting there be strength in whatever path they choose. -
Yolanda Lopez, Who's The Illegal Alien, Pilgrim?, 1981, offset lithograph on paper, 22.5x17.75inches, Smithsonian Art Museum.
: Great example of Chicano art, as political protest was a common theme for them
: Along with a cultural pride (I.E. the indigenous Mexican)
: And this one in particular protests against terrible immigration laws, another common theme for Chicano art. -
Gerald Williams, Watch Night 150, 2013, acrylic on plexi, 25.75x19.75x3inches, Cleveland Museum of Art.
: Another good example of Coolade colors used by AfriCOBRA members.
: Each of the figures have what look like ankh's for their hair, which is an ancient Egyptian symbol for everlasting life.
:"Celebrate The Freedom In Your Life" is a phrase in the center of the painting that directly aligns with the goals of black liberation and empowerment. -
“Revolutionary Suit.” Brooklyn Museum, www.brooklynmuseum.org/objects/223730. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.
“Ebony Family.” Brooklyn Museum, www.brooklynmuseum.org/objects/210701. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
“Black Light #10: Flag for the Moon.” Glenstone, www.glenstone.org/artworks/black-light-10-flag-for-the-moon. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
“Gerald Williams, Watch Night 150, 2013.” Kavi Gupta Gallery, kavigupta.com/artists/34-gerald-williams/works/6120-gerald-williams-watch-night-150-2013/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025. -
“Who’s the Illegal Alien, Pilgrim? .” Smithsonian American Art Museum, americanart.si.edu/artwork/whos-illegal-alien-pilgrim-115575. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
Ch’ien, Dr. Letha. “Yolanda López, Guadalupe Triptych – Smarthistory.” Smarthistory, 23 Apr. 2025, smarthistory.org/yolanda-lopez-guadalupe-triptych/. -
“Meet the Artists of ¡Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now.” Smithsonian American Art Museum, americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/chicano-graphics/online/la-virgen-de-guadalupe. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.