CURRENT EXHIBIT • JOURNEY GALLERY
Making a Way: Jacob Lawrence
An examination of the Northwest Black experience through the artwork of Jacob Lawrence
“I do not look upon the story of the Blacks in America as a separate experience to the American culture but as a part of the American heritage and experience as a whole”
About the Exhibit + Artists
Jacob Lawrence was an American painter known for his portrayal of Black historical subjects and contemporary life. Lawrence referred to his style as "dynamic cubism," an art form popularized in Europe which drew great inspiration from West African and Meso-American art. For his compositions, Lawrence found inspiration in everyday life in Harlem. By the time he was 23, he had completed five narrative series on major people and events in Black history, including Toussaint L’Ouverture, the leader of the Haitian Revolution, abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman. He used descriptive titles, vibrant patterns and blocks of color, and simplified, angular figures and forms to distill epic narratives into powerfully direct images. This style, applied to topics ranging from neighborhood life to the experiences of Black industrial laborers to the Civil Rights Movement, characterized his work throughout his career. He also taught and spent 16 years as a professor at the University of Washington.
Jacob Armstead Lawrence
Making a Way: The Jacob Lawrence and the Northwest Black Experience art exhibition is currently open at Northwest African American Museum in the Journey Gallery. Through a series of paintings created by Lawrence we examine Black history through his eyes. Lawrence’s artwork is relevant to American culture as it explores social struggles such as racism and work culture. Current social movements like Black Lives Matter and the fight for better working conditions are reflected in the classic work of Lawrence.