In ‘Black Power!,’ Art’s Political Punch and Populist Reach

Models from the Grandassa Models agency in 1968, part of the “Black Power!” exhibition at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
"Given the economic, environmental and social policies emanating from the White House, the United States could be headed for its most dynamic era of public resistance since the 1960s, one for which the Women’s March last winter was just a warm-up. Such an era would demand fresh developments in political art, meaning art with a populist reach. Where will that come from? Not from our mainstream art world, the one represented by big museums and art fairs. That world is a tight and self-regarding place, an echo chamber with mirrored walls. It’s a bit more diverse than it used to be, but still lags way behind the population at large. In terms of economics and class? It’s a gated community, a closed door. ..."
NY Times

A 1969 image of a newspaper carrier by Emory Douglas, minister of culture for the Black Panther Party.