Wake Up Our Souls: A Celebration of Black American Artists, 1st Edition

By (author)  Tonya Bolden

This book highlights influential and important African American 20th-century artists, from those of the early part of the century who were actively discouraged from pursuing their talent, to important participants in the Harlem Renaissance to modern and contemporary artists. The text also includes sidebars highlighting individual pictures and creators, completing a wonderful chapter in the history of American art and in African American life and achievement.

Published in conjunction with the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the nation’s greatest repository of African American art, the book includes works by Romare Bearden, Roy DeCarava, Betye Saar, and Augusta Savage, among many others. From Faith Ringgold’s fabric interpretation of the Harlem Renaissance to Gordon Parks’ celebrated 1996 photograph of Muhammad Ali, the paintings, sculptures, and photographs reproduced here reflect the rich and varied experience of African American artists in the 20th century.