African art

African American Art

A term that emerged in the 1940s, initially at Black colleges, to describe the work of African American artists. It is not fixed, as artists hold diverse identities. “African American” is a political category (like “Black”) rather than a singular identity. It reflects a confluence of different artistic practices.

Chattel Slavery

A system in which enslaved people were treated as property (“chattel”) that could be bought, sold, and inherited, with no legal rights.

Middle Passage

The transatlantic voyage that forcibly brought enslaved Africans to the Americas. Journeys took 2–3 months under brutal, deadly conditions.

Transatlantic Slave Trade

The large-scale system of transporting enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas between the 16th and 19th centuries, forming a central part of global commerce.

Plantations

 Large-scale, self-contained agricultural estates designed to maximize production through enslaved labor. They typically produced cash crops (e.g., sugar, cotton, tobacco) for markets, not for workers’ own use.cotton, and

Poteaux-en-terre

A French colonial building technique using vertical posts set directly in the ground (often seen in Louisiana). Enslaved laborers built such structures, including cabins.

Enslavement

The condition of being forced into bondage and deprived of freedom, autonomy, and legal rights.

Africanism

A term coined in 1943 by anthropologists to describe cultural practices in the Americas that showed African origins. Scholars debated what was “African” versus “American.”

1619/1524

Dates marking the earliest arrivals of Africans in the Americas: 1524 (enslaved Africans brought to the Americas via Spanish colonizers) and 1619 (the first documented Africans arriving in English North America at Jamestown, Virginia).

Attestation

Evidence or testimony that something existed or occurred; in this context, documentation of African cultural survivals or the presence of enslaved Africans in America.

Narrative Quilts

Textile works, often created by African American women, that told stories and preserved histories through fabric, stitching, and symbolism.

High Art vs. Low Art

A cultural distinction where “high art” refers to fine arts (painting, sculpture) valued by elites, while “low art” includes folk, craft, or popular arts (quilts, ceramics). African American art often challenged this hierarchy.

Abolition / Abolitionist

The movement and activists are dedicated to ending slavery. Abolitionists used speeches, literature, and art to advocate for emancipation.

Black Genre

Artworks that depicted everyday Black life and culture, challenging stereotypes and asserting the richness of Black experiences.

“Africa’s Muse”

An exhibition (and concept) emphasizing how African art inspired modernist artists, though often without credit to African creators. Raises questions about appropriation.

“Slave” Cabins

Living quarters built for enslaved people on plantations, often using materials like wood (poteaux-en-terre) or brick. They symbolized both oppression and resilience.

Afro-Carolinian / Afro-Georgia Ceramicware

Distinctive pottery traditions were developed by enslaved African Americans in the Carolinas and Georgia, blending African techniques with local materials.

African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church

Founded in 1816, the first independent Black Protestant denomination in the U.S. It became a major center of community, political activism, and cultural identity.

Oppositional Knowledge

 Knowledge produced by marginalized groups that challenges dominant narratives. For African Americans, this included oral histories, art, and writing that resisted slavery and racism.

Carte-de-visite

 A small, photographic calling card popular in the 19th century. African Americans used it as a tool for self-representation, dignity, and circulating new images of Black identity.