The Soul of a Nation Reader: Writings by and about Black American Artists, 1960-1980

By: Mark Godfrey and Allie Biswas

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Synopsis: The soul of a nation reader, What is "Black art"? Between 1960 and 1980, this question was asked and answered time and again by artists, curators, and critics deeply affected by the civil rights movement and the ensuing social and political upheavals that roiled communities and institutions across the United States. In newspapers, magazines, exhibition catalogues, and panel discussions, an intense debate arose about how Black artists should or should not engage with politics, what audiences they should address and inspire, where they should exhibit, how their work should be curated, and even whether such a category as "Black art," or the "Black aesthetic," existed in the first place. Originating in research for the landmark traveling exhibition Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power, this anthology brings together more than two hundred texts, most of them rare and long out of print. Soul of a Nation co-curator Mark Godfrey sets the stage with a substantial introduction to the anthology, and Allie Biswas, the volume's coeditor, provides essential context with her individual introductions to the texts. As lively as it is enlightening, the book makes an invaluable contribution to the fields of twentieth-century art history and African American studies.