This collection, which dates from circa 1901-1940, contains 37 books from African-American authors associated with the Harlem Renaissance. These materials were purchased in support of the exhibit "The Renaissance: Black Arts of the Twenties" which was held at the Anacostia Community Museum from September 1985--December 1986.

This accession consists of audiovisual materials created during the production of "Through the Looking Glass Darkly: Struggle for Rights;" "Afro-Americans and the Evolution of a Living Constitution;" "Life and Times of Richard Allen;" and "Harlem Renaissance." "Through the Looking Glass Darkly: Struggle for Rights," produced in 1973, deals wit...

An exhibition on the history and art of the Harlem Renaissance. The exhibition, held at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum, ran from September 1985--ecember 1986. These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, research files, exhibit scripts, administrative records, brochures, press coverage, education packets, loan agreements, floor plans, and catalogues.

The scattered papers of African-American and Harlem Renaissance painter, muralist, illustrator, sculptor, and educator Charles Henry Alston measure 0.9 linear feet and date from 1924-1980. Included are biographical materials, correspondence, commission and teaching files, writings and notes, printed materials, and photographs. Notable correspondents include Romare Bearden, Byron Browne, Jacob Lawrence, and Hale Woodruff.

The collection measures 20.4 linear feet, dates from 1885 to 1991 (bulk dates 1908-1986) and documents the career of Harlem Renaissance lithographer, teacher, and painter Prentiss Taylor. The collection consists primarily of subject/correspondence files (circa 16 ft.), reflecting Prentiss' career as a lithographer and painter, his association with figures prominent in the Harlem Renaissance, notably Carl Van Vechten and Langston Hughes, his activities as president of the Society of Washington Printmakers and other art organizations, his work in art therapy treating mental illness, and his teaching position at American University. The subject files contain mostly correspondence, but many include photographs and printed material. Also included are biographical, financial, legal and printed material; several hundred photographs; notes and writings; sketchbooks, drawings and a few prints by Taylor; and scrapbooks dating from 1885-1956.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) was established on December 16, 2003, when President George W. Bush signed the National Museum of African American History and Culture Act (PL 108-184) into law, establishing the museum as part of the Smithsonian Institution. The new museum will be devoted exclusively to...

The papers of African American artist and educator Jeff Donaldson measure 12.5 linear feet and date from 1918 to 2005, with the bulk of the records dating from the 1960s to 2005. The collection documents Donaldson's work as a professional artist, his academic career at Howard University, and his leadership role in the Black Arts Movement through biographical material, a small amount of professional and personal correspondence, personal business records, writings by Donaldson and others, research files, artist files, sound recordings of interviews Donaldson conducted with over 40 artists, teaching files, exhibition files, printed material, and photographs. Also found are detailed records of his professional activities and leadership roles in AfriCOBRA, CONFABA, FESTAC, and the Organization of Black American Culture (OBAC), including documentation on the Wall of Respect mural.

This accession consists of videotapes and audiotapes created during the production of "Here At The Smithsonian" ("HATS"), an eight volume series of television productions. The series was conceived by Nazaret Cherkezian, Director, Office of Telecommunications (1976-1986) and produced by Ann Carroll (Volumes I-IV) and John P. Meehan (Volumes V-V...

The papers of African American painter and educator Jacob Lawrence and his wife, artist Gwendolyn Knight measure 25.35 linear feet and 0.001 GB date from 1914 to 2008, with one item from 1816 and the bulk of the material dating from 1973 to 2001. The collection includes biographical material; correspondence including condolence letters to Gwendolyn Knight after Jacob Lawrence's death; writings by Jacob Lawrence and others; printed and digital material; photographs; personal business records; artwork; records from the Jacob Lawrence Catalogue Raisonné Project; materials related to the Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation; professional files; and material related to awards and honors received by Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight.

The papers of Romare Bearden measure 2.1 linear feet and date from 1937 to 1982. The collection includes biographical information, correspondence, writings by and about Bearden, miscellaneous legal and financial material, photographs, drawings, and printed material. Found are numerous letters referring to African-American arts movements of the 1960s and 1970s, including exhibitions, publications, associations, and scattered letters of a more personal nature.