What is the Harlem Renaissance and how did it

affect black people?

Writers- Cecilia
Artists- Carly
Musicians- Calvin
Photographers- Shira
Scholar- Jack
What is Harlem?
Harlem is located in New York New York
Was of course of the epicenter of renaissance
What was the Harlem Renaissance?
Was a cultural center drawing black writers, artist, photographer,
musicians, and scholars
The term renaissance is from the French word meaning rebirth
Explosion of art, music, photos, books, literature, and much more

Writers of the Harlem Renaissance

Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston was an influential author and poet.
Born on January 7, 1891 in Notasulga Alabama
She moved to Florida as a toddler. There was some debate about
where she was actually born, because inDust
her autobiography,
cks on a Road,
she wrote that she was born in Florida.
She was also known to change her birth year and she might have been
born on January 15, not January 7.
Hurston was the daughter of two former slaves
Her mothers name was Lucy Ann Hurston and her fathers name was
John Hurston.
She was the fifth child born out of eight to her mother.
Her father was a pastor, and her mother died when she was young.
Her father remarried so she lived with a variety of people for the next
few years.
She worked a variety of jobs to pay for her education. She worked as a
maid for an actress.

 She earned an associate degree from Howard University. One of her

earliest works was published in the Howard University newspaper.
A few years later, she moved to Harlem.
She then earned a scholarship to Barnard College, but later returned to
Florida to collect African American folklore.
In the 1930s, she wrote a play with Langston Hughes.
She traveled to Haiti, and that was where she wrote her most famous
Watching God. novel,
While in Haiti, she studied local
voodoo practices.
Hurston was charged with molesting a 10-year-old boy in 1948; despite
being able to prove that she was out of the country at the time of the
incident, she suffered greatly from this false accusation.
-Biography.com
The last decade of her life was very hard She struggled financially
She had difficulty getting her work published
While living in a welfare home, she suffered several strokes.
She died there on January 28, 1960.
She is now buried in an unmarked grave in Fort Pierce, Florida.
African American storytelling began long before the Harlem
Renaissance. In 1771, Phillis Wheatley was the first African American to
have poems published.
Literature/writing from the Harlem Renaissance shaped literature from
the past 100 years.
http://www.biography.com/people/zora-neale-hurston-9347659#death-and-l
egacy
by Kelly King Howes pg 41- & 217-226
Musicians of the Harlem Renaissance
Louis Armstrong was a trumpeter, composer, singer and occasional
actor
Louis said he was born in July 4th, 1900 but he was really born in
August 4th, 1901
Went to Fisk School for Boys at age
Became a paperboy for money along with finding discarded food and
selling it to restaurants

 Dropped out of Fisk School for Boys and joined a quartet of boys. They
sang in the streets for money
Worked for a Jewish immigrant family who treated him like family. He
could see the discrimination his jewish family was facing when he was 7
year old
Played his Cornet in the band of New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs,
where he had been sent multiple times for general delinquency, most
notably for firing his stepfather's pistol into the air at a New Year's Eve
celebration, but it was only an empty shot, as police records confirm
Learned from Bunk Johnson, Buddy Petit, Kid Ory. and Joe King Oliver
Joined Kid Orys band in 1919
Could read at twenty years old and began to be featured in trumpet
solos
Was making enough money in Chicago so that he didnt need to get
extra jobs
Was invited in New York to play with the Fletcher Henderson
Orchestra which was one of the top African-American bands of all time.
He switched to the trumpet to blend in better. He started to experiment
with the trombone
Started to record with pianist Clarence Williams in New Orleans with
the William Blue Five and singers like Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and
Alberta Hunter
Louis returned to Chicago in 1925 because his wife wanted him to earn
more money. He create sings such as Potato Head Blues, Muggles
and West End Blues
Was a member of the Lil Hardin Armstrong Band
Louis Armstrong style was easy going and he was very relaxed
The group had :
Kid Ory- Trombone, Johnny Dodds-Clarinet, Johnny St. Cry-Banjo. Wife
Lil on piano
Created songs like "whip that thing, Miss Lil" and "Mr. Johnny Dodds,
Aw, do that clarinet, boy!
Returned in 1929 to New York to play in the muscial Hot Choclate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyLjbMBpGDA

Photography and Photographers

James Augustus Josef Van Der Zee

 Known for his posed, storied pictures capturing African-American

citizenry and celebrity
Born on June 29, 1886, in Lenox, Massachusetts
Opened up his own Harlem studio in 1916.
Van Der Zee became known for his detailed imagery of
African-American life, and for capturing celebrities such as Florence
Mills and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Following hard financial times,
Van Der Zee enjoyed a resurge in his career during his later years.
Died in 1983 in Washington D.C
He had five siblings
Took pictures for his high school
James learned how to play the piano and violin as a kid
For several years, Van Der Zee put his musicianship to use, playing
with Fletcher Henderson's band and the John Wanamaker Orchestra
while also working as a piano and violin teacher
Van Der Zee obtained a job as a darkroom assistant in a New Jersey
department store, and by 1916, he had opened his own Harlem studio,
Guarantee Photo. He eventually renamed his workplace GGG Studio,
after his second wife, Gaynella Greenlee (they wed in 1920)
Van Der Zee would photograph Harlemites of all backgrounds and
occupations, though his work is particularly noted for its pioneering
depiction of middle-class African-American life.
Mostly took indoor portraits
Labeled each picture with signature and date
He did photograph many famous people but many most of his work
was straightforward commercial studio variety
Weddings
Funerals
Family photos
Teams
Clubs
Etc
He often supplied props or costumes in his pictures
He did some special effects from the use of the darkroom
A darkroom is a room with no light and used to develope pictures
In 1969, the Metropolitan Museum of Art mounted an exhibition
featuring Van Der Zee,
bringing the photographer
and his work renewed attention.

Art gallery director Donna Mussenden took up his cause, starting to

structure his home space and organize public appearances, and the
two married in 1978
Faced many financial issues
In 1981, Van Der Zee filed a suit to reclaim more than 50,000 images
from the Studio Museum of Harlem, the rights to which he had signed
away after his eviction. The case would be settled posthumously, with
half of the work being returned to the photographer's estate, and the
remainder being retained by the museum and the James Van Der Zee
Institute.
Received many awards
He became a permanent fellow of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and
received a Living Legacy Award from President Jimmy Carter. After
receiving an honorary doctorate from Howard University, Van Der Zee
died of a heart attack at age 96, on May 15, 1983, in Washington, D.C.
His work has continued to be celebrated for the past several years, with
special exhibitions honoring his legacy.
PICTURES TAKEN BY JAMES VAN DER ZEE

His parents, former servants of President Ulysses S. Grant,

He opened his own studio. He called it "Guarantee Photo.
I tried to see that every picture was better-looking than the person,"
New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art featured his work in an exhibit
called "Harlem On My Mind," and almost overnight, Van Der Zee

received national recognition. In the early 1980s, 60 years after the

Harlem Renaissance, celebrities this time with names like Bill Cosby,
Muhammad Ali, and Lou Rawls flocked to sit for Van Der Zee
portraits.
Leaving behind a legacy of images so compelling that it's hard to see
Harlem through any other eyes. "In these photographs," writes McGhee,
"you will not see the common images of black Americans
downtrodden rural or urban citizens. Instead, you will see a people of
great pride and fascinating beauty
Scholars
Injected African American culture into mainstream American culture
Helped form a distinctive for Black Americans
The Harlem Renaissance helped push social progress and helped inspire
the civil rights movement later in the century
W.E.B Dubois was a founding member of the NAACP and was given the
position Director of Publicity and Research and was the publisher and a
writer in the prominent magazine The Crisis known for its
controversial stories and writing. He was also a socialist who believed
that socialism
Artists of the Harlem Renaissance

African American artist and painter

Created portraits of very well-known people
Born on May 16, 1887 in Hartford Connecticut
Was a teacher too
Known for her portraits
Created illustrations, usually pen-and-ink drawings, for the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People's magazine, The
Crisis
Died at age 60 February 3, 1948 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Her father was the pastor at a historic African-American church while
her mother was a teacher and amateur artist
Began at a young age
Parent encouragement she left home to pursue in her artwork

 In 1927, the Harmon Foundationan organization created to

acknowledge the achievements of African Americans in the United
Stateshonored her with a gold medal for the portrait
In the late 1920s, several of Waring's paintings were part of a Harmon
Foundation exhibit that featured the work of African-American artists
Singled out when she drew portraits of negroes
Was sick
Often fought stereotypes and portrayed accomplished African
Americans
Left a legacy and her portraits are still shown today
A lot of art based on the African american culture
Artworks
Could not be an artist during the year of slavery
Years after and before Civil War became popular again
Gained more recognition
Gained education to learn about the history of art
Had to fight to prove they had strong artwork ability
Artists were exploring their connections with black history
1925 publication
Had many illustrations by African American artist
Harmon Foundation in 1926-1967
Support, promote, and nurture African American art and culture
Every year they would recognize African American achievements
Harmon Foundation had a positive impact on the Harlem Renaissance
of art
She taught art for more than 30 years at Cheyney University in
Pennsylvania

Links:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_harlem.html
http://www.biography.com/people/james-van-der-zee-9515411
http://www.biography.com/people/laura-wheeler-waring-38504
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/james-van-der-zee-documenter-1
920s-harlem

Live from Harlem New York,

New York!
PeopleCarly- Laura Wheeler Waring
Shira- James Van Der Zee
Jack- WEB DuBois
Calvin- Louis Armstrong
Cece- Zora Neale Hurston
PropsCarlyShira- Polaroid and Ink and quill & tie
JackCalvinCece- Scarf, Notebook, Printed out info
(Jazz music plays in background)

Cece: We are live from the Harlem Renaissance! Im Zora Neale

Hurston, and today, we will be visiting an artist, a photographer,
a scholar, a musician and, me- an author! The Harlem
Renaissance was the time when the African American culture
thrived. It was the time for art, music, photography, scholars, and
literature. Harlem is a neighborhood of New York City. It is a
unique neighborhood. Its where the rebirth of African American
culture happened. We will first be visiting Laura Wheeler
Waring- one of the great artists from Harlem.
(Background changes to art studio)

Cece: Hello, Laura. Im Zora.

Carly: Welcome to my studio, Zora.
Cece: So, Laura, tell me a little bit about yourself.
Carly: (Talk about myself)
(Cece say uh huh at random times while doodling in notebook,
not paying attention.)
Carly: (Her artwork in general)
Cece: Thank you Laura
Carly: Look at this picture I drew while we were talking! It shows
the true heartbreak and sadness of the world that we live in.
Cece: Wow. The emotion is just astounding. On that note, we are
now going to visit James Augustus Joseph Van Der Zee.
(In a dark room)
Cece: Hey there James! Its great to see you! This is Laura
Wheeler Waring. Shes an artist. Just like you. (elbows Shira in
the side)
Shira: Dont be silly. Photographers and artists dont go well
together.
Carly: (Moves right next to Shira) Of course they do.

Cece: Okay. Moving on. James- can you tell our audience a little
bit about what you have been working on and a little bit about
yourself?
Shira: Sure! I was Born on June 29, 1886, in Lenox, Massachusetts.
And had 5 siblings. As a kid, I played with Fletcher Henderson's
band and the John Wanamaker Orchestra while also working as
a piano and violin teacher. But enough about my childhood. I then
got a job as a darkroom assistant in a New Jersey department
store, and by 1916, I had opened my own Harlem studio,
Guarantee Photo. I eventually renamed my workplace GGG
Studio, after my second wife, Gaynella Greenlee. I would
photograph Harlemites of all backgrounds and occupations,
though my work labeled each picture with signature and date
like this one here which is still developing. I took lots of
photographs of many famous people but many of my work was
straight forward commercial studio variety things like weddings,
funerals, family photos, teams etc. I became a permanent fellow
of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and received a Living Legacy
Award from President Jimmy Carter. I left behind a legacy of
images so compelling that it's hard to see Harlem through any
other eyes.McGhee, wrote In these photographs you will not see
the common images of black Americans downtrodden rural or
urban citizens. Instead, you will see a people of great pride and
fascinating beauty. But um enough about me..
Cece: (Checks watch) Oh! Thanks James, but its time to go visit
W.E.B. DuBois.
(In an office with WEB DuBois)
Shira: Hi Mr. DuBois! (Du-bwa)
Jack: Hi James. Laura. Zora.
Carly: What have you been up to WEB?

Jack: (Talks)
Cece: Thanks for sharing with us, but we have someone else we
need to visit- Louis Armstrong!
Jack: How have you gotten to where you are today?
Calvin: (Shares about himself)
Cece: Thanks for sharing Louis. Now we have one more stop.
(Office)
Calvin: Whats your story?
Cece: Well, I would be happy to share (Opens notebook and
reads notes on Zora)
Once upon a time, on January 7, 1891, little Zora Neale Hurston was born in
Notasulga, Alabama to John and Lucy Ann Hurston, two former slaves. There
is some debate about when and where she was born, because she wrote in
her autobiography,
that she was born in Florida on
January 15, maybe not even in 1891. As a toddler, little Zora moved to Florida.
She is the fifth of eight children born to her mother. Her father was a pastor,
and her mother passed when she was young. Her father remarried. Zora
grew up with many people around. She worked many jobs to pay for her
education, including being a maid for an actress. Zora worked very hard, and
earned an associate degree from Howard University. One of her earliest
works was published in the University newspaper. She then earned a
scholarship to attend Barnard College, but later returned to Florida to collect
African American folklore. By that point, Zora was living in Harlem. In the 30s
Zora wrote a play with the great Langston Hughes. She traveled to Haiti, and
that was where she wrote her most famous novel,
While in Haiti, she studied local voodoo practices. In 1948, Zora Neale
Hurston was accused of molesting a 10 year old boy, even though it was
proved that she was out of the country at the time. The false accusation

caused her great suffering. The last decade of her life will be very hard. She
will struggle financially, have difficult getting works published, and suffer
several strokes. She will die on January 28, 1960, at the age of 69, and will be
buried in an unmarked grave in Florida. African American storytelling has a
long and rich history, going all the way back to Phillis Wheatley in 1771. Little
Zora grew up to become me, the influential author from Harlem that you see
before you today.

(We all go back to the studio)

Cece: This was such a fun experience meeting you all and getting
to learn about each and every one of you!
Carly: We all had a great time touring Harlem.
ALL: (Turn towards the audience) Goodnight Harlem!

Bibliography
Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
Howes, Kelly King., and Christine Slovey. Harlem Renaissance. Detroit: U
X L, 2001. Print.
"James Van Der Zee: Documenter of 1920s Harlem |
Scholastic.com."Scholastic Teachers. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
. PBS, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.