Interdisciplinary Harlem Renaissance: The Visual Artists

In an effort to introduce other creative forms into the art classroom, this cross-curricular unit will focus on the Harlem Renaissance, an era that was rich with music, writing and art.  This unit is primarily designed for a high school art course (at any level, intro-AP), however, these lessons can easily be adapted for other taught subjects or used as collaborations among multiple subjects.

Most of my inspiration for this unit came from a book found in my school’s library, Harlem Renaissance:  Art of Black America, from the Studio Museum in Harlem.  This book is filled with beautiful images from artists of the Harlem Renaissance, many of which are not well-known or mentioned in art history books.  While my unit will incorporate other disciplines such as writing, music and dance, its main focus will be on the visual artists and connecting them to these other disciplines.