1. American artist and political activist
Romare Bearden
American artist and political activist

2. Biography Born in 1911 in North Carolina
Attended Lincoln University, Boston College and NYU
Had a career as a social worker and worked on art at night and on weekends
Specialized in collage, painting, and political activism
Married Nanette Rohan in 1954 whom he (and his 3 beloved cats) lived with for the remainder of their lives
Died in 1988 in New York City
So how old was he when he died? (76)

3. Inspirations
Harlem Renaissance- cultural movement in the 1920s called the “new negro movement” made up of black writers, intellectuals, visual artists and musicians
African American history
Jazz and Blues music (Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald)
He grew up about 50 years after the civil war (which ended in 1865) slavery was abolished. Blacks were gaining more and more rights and were speaking out about their culture
Beraden made work about many different subjects in many different places but today we’ll focus on his work in Harlem, New York.

4. Collage Materials Photographs Magazine pieces Colored paper Foil
Art posters
Romare Bearden collected many different materials from popular sources, such as magazines and newspapers that depicted blacks in a negative light. He repurposed these materials and turned them into collages that celebrated black culture.

5. Art in Activism
Romare Bearden did not agree with the how the media portrayed blacks, so he took matters into his own hands.
He created his own imagery painting a different picture, one that praised the black community and celebrated its culture, and shared it with the world through his art.
Bearden used his artwork and writing to speak up for a variety of social issues and empower black artists

6. Cosmopolitan
Here are some popular magazines from today. What does these images and headlines say about our culture? What do they portray?

7. Men’s Health
Is it positive or negative?

8. People
Ask for comments about the images seen here

9. Our Task What kind of imagery do we have in the media today?
What messages are the images in magazines and newspapers sending?
Are these messages negative or positive?
Using Romare Bearden’s style of reusing images, create a collage that sends a message that your group wants to share with the world.