African American nurals express a powerful aesthetic grounded in social and spiritual consciousness. Now, for the first time, these murals from across the nation's urban landscape are brought together in a single, comprehensive volume. Walls of Heritage, Walls of Pride focuses on thirty years of mural art from the making of Chicago's landmark Wall of Respect in 1967 to the hip-hop renderings of the nineties and includes several historically significant murals from previ-ous decades.

African American nurals express a powerful aesthetic grounded in social and spiritual consciousness. Now, for the first time, these murals from across the nation's urban landscape are brought together in a single, comprehensive volume. Walls of Heritage, Walls of Pride focuses on thirty years of mural art from the making of Chicago's landmark Wall of Respect in 1967 to the hip-hop renderings of the nineties and includes several historically significant murals from previ-ous decades.

The collection examines the work of such greats as Charles White, Aaron Douglas, Jacob Lawrence, Hale Woodruff, and John Biggers, as well as the extraordinary art of William Walker,Calvin Jones, Mitchell Caton, Justine DeVan,Elliott Pickney, Noni Olabisi, Nelson Stevens,Dewey Crumpler, and many other muralists.With more than two hundred paintings in all,this volume explores the rich tableau of African American murals from New York to Los Angeles, Milwaukee to Atlanta, introducing many new paintings some published for the first time and including images of important murals that have been destroyed.

 Recognizing the profound importance of the African American artist's perspective, this seminal work brings the voice of the muralists to the fore through descriptive narratives written by the artists themselves or quoted from inter-views. These insightful, colorful descriptions provide a valuable context for understanding the meaning and role of the murals in their respec-tive communities. Along with the narratives are artist biographies, an extensive state-by-state listing of murals in the United States, and infor-mative essays by art historians Floyd Coleman,Ph.D. and Michael Harris, Ph.D. The essays examine the historical significance and key con-tributions of African American murals to the visual arts and the black community.

Foreword by Ednmnd Barry Gaither

Acknowledgments

Preface

Keeping Hope Alive: The Story of African American Murals by Floyd Coleman, Ph.D.

   African American Murals: The Twentieth Century--Beginnings

   Mexican Influences

   Other Muralists

   African American Murals in Context

   Notes

Urban Totems: The Communal Spirit of Black Murals by Michael D. Harris, Ph.D

   1967-1975:Art for the People

   1975-1990: From Revolutionary Effort to Creative Decoration

   Fin de siecle: the 1990s

   Insurgency: Urban Spraycan Calligraphy

   Notes

Mural Time Line of Key Historical Events

Pre- 1967 Murals

Murals 1967-Present: Midwest

Murals 1967-Present: Northeast

Murals 1967-Present: West

Murals 1967-Present: South

Murals 1967-Present: Mid-Atlantic

Murals by Non-African American Artists

Geographic Listing of Major Murals by African American Artists

Artist Biographies

Bibliography

Index