Five Decades: Black Artists in Philadelphia - 6abc Loves the Arts

It's the mission of the Woodmere Art Museum in Chestnut Hill to celebrate the artists of Philadelphia, and a new exhibition entitled We Speak: Black Artists in Philadelphia 1920s to the 1970s tells an iconic story that spans five decades of black artistry in the city.

"The exhibition starts with the new Negro movement, which was a call to black artists living in the 20s," says curator Rachel McCay, "and then ends in the 70s with the black power movement."

The exhibit features over 70 works of art covering a wide range of genres, "there's prints, paintings; there's photographs. There's studies and finished works; there's drawings," says McCay who says curators interviewed the artists, their families, and others active in the art community to give the exhibition a unique personal touch.

"We were looking for how well these artists explain how institutions supported them. It really represents the spectrum of artistic styles that artists were working in and it represents a range of museums that supported their careers."

Among the artists featured, Paul Keene, Jr., who used art to tell the story of the black experience, and Barbara Bullock, who draws her inspiration from African myths and literature.

"In terms of people who are affiliated with the art scene in Philadelphia, they're recognizing old friends and important mentors, and then people who are not affiliated with the arts, they're just awed by the range of works

We Speak: Black Artists in Philadelphia is at the Woodmere Art Museum until January 24th. For tickets and museum hours, go to www.TheArtsInPhilly.org.