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African-American
artists living in New York between the years 1929 (the beginning of the
Great Depression) and 1945 (the end of the Second World War) took great
interest in New York's working life. Like many other groups who moved to
New York, African Americans from the South came to the city during the New
Deal Era to find economic opportunity and social freedom. U.S. government-sponsored
programs such as the Works Progress Administration enhanced these opportunities,
especially for artists, many of whom were paid to illustrate their daily
lives. These works of art—largely drawn from the exhibition African-American
Artists, 19291945: Prints, Drawings, and Paintings in The Metropolitan
Museum of Art—tell stories about work that resonate for every New Yorker
regardless of age or race. |
