During the 1960 and ‘70, the African American community in Chicago continued to feel powerless and in some cases, voiceless, despite the civil rights movement in the years prior. A group of artists, whom after discussion of their community’s problems, developed a philosophy centered on family and black power. AfriCOBRA, or the African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists, established a sense of community in Chicago. They were able to accomplish this through the usage of aesthetics of bright colors and free symmetry, symbolism representing social, economic, ethnic and political themes, and impact of their artwork on the education and other social aspects of the African American community in Chicago. We will explore the significance of their artwork and its connections to the past and present through an interactive website. Furthermore, we will connect the movement’s success to the power in peaceful and educational protest. Through their recreation of the African American, changing the white made perception and reclaiming themselves by connecting themselves to their African cultural roots, they were able to create a sense of power in their community that continues to exist today. This social change allowed people to ‘take a stand’ beyond their era and instead drew it into modern culture that lives on today.
The black arts movement in Chicago led to many groups of that theme to form, one of which being AfriCOBRA. The movement was originally created as a response to inequality between races, specifically between African-Americans and Whites. Through works of art, such as paintings and public murals, the position that AfriCOBRA held was that African-Americans needed to take a stand against the various inequalities and unite together to resist the oppression that they faced. Many of the artists used bright colors and strong contrasts to convey and show a message of their own power to their community. They were able to have either very obvious messages through brightly colored words in backgrounds, or have deep symbolism hidden within a specific object that was painted or photographed. Through the research of the visual arts created by AfriCOBRA, it is clear that their art conveys clear messages of empowerment and unification that helped bring the African-American community of Chicago and Illinois together against the unjust treatment the endured.
The black arts movement in Chicago led to many groups of that theme to form, one of which being AfriCOBRA. The movement was originally created as a response to inequality between races, specifically between African-Americans and Whites. Through works of art, such as paintings and public murals, the position that AfriCOBRA held was that African-Americans needed to take a stand against the various inequalities and unite together to resist the oppression that they faced. Many of the artists used bright colors and strong contrasts to convey and show a message of their own power to their community. They were able to have either very obvious messages through brightly colored words in backgrounds, or have deep symbolism hidden within a specific object that was painted or photographed. Through the research of the visual arts created by AfriCOBRA, it is clear that their art conveys clear messages of empowerment and unification that helped bring the African-American community of Chicago and Illinois together against the unjust treatment the endured.