Protest As Heritage

A collection of protest art that is even more relevant today during the National Boycott.

Protest art is a legacy of the generations of artists who have seen dark times and did more than bear witness. Here are a few pieces that are present in my mind today. I am reminded of a quote I saw recently: “During tragedy, we must make art. Art keeps us human during inhumane moments.”

Panel 5 of Jacob Lawrence’s series “Struggle… From the History of the American People,” titled “We Have No Property! We Have No Wives! No Children! We Have No City! No Country! — Petition of Many Slaves, 1773” (1955). Credit:© 2020 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

José Clemente Orozco (Mexican, 1883–1949). On the Road (or ‘Rear Guard’): women carrying children and guns, 1929. Lithograph, sheet: 15 3/8 x 21 5/8 in. (39 x 55 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1929 (29.63.4)

Read more here: https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/art-protest-public-space

The Black Panther, March 9, 1969

The Black Panther, March 16, 1968.

Back cover, The Black Panther, October 4, 1971, promoting black businesses.

See more of Emory’s work and The Black Panther here: https://letterformarchive.org/news/emory-douglas-and-the-black-panther/?srsltid=AfmBOooI062VeSny-ydjvVrB5tcXIt0FUkdpYgc9KxrcmIJGihfaiwTd

A photograph of Breonna Taylor, projected onto the statue of Robert E. Lee on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va., July 2020. Credit: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA, via Shutterstock. See more here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/15/t-magazine/most-influential-protest-art.html

Faith Ringgold’s “United States of Attica” (1971-72). Credit:© 2020 Faith Ringgold/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy ACA Galleries, New York. Photo: © The Museum of Modern Art. /Licensed by SCALA /Art Resource, NY.

Faith Ringgold American People Series #15: Hide Little Children, 1966. oil on canvas

American People Series #18: The Flag Is Bleeding, 1967 Oil on canvas 72 × 96 in (182.9 × 243.8 cm)

Faith Ringgold The Flag is Bleeding #2 (American Collection #6), 1997 acrylic on canvas, painted and pieced border

See more of Ringgold’s portfolio here: https://www.famsf.org/storage/files/06082139-0651-4c9d-867e-cd891d81be6c/Faith-Ringgold-Catalog.pdf and https://www.houldsworth.co.uk/artists/73-faith-ringgold/works/

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This article is for educational purposes and the photographs on display are used under Fair Use.

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