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Art of the Harlem Renaissance
During the Harlem Renaissance, Africa American writers weren't the only people who flocked to a little-know district of Manhattan to explore their cultural identity. African American musicians, painters, and sculptors were as much a part of this artistic explosion of the 1920s and 1930s were poets, novelists, and playwrights. Before long, the intense creative spirits spilled out of Harlem, which had become the heart and soul of African American culture. African American artists across the country began painting, sculpting, drawing, and taking photograph.

Artists of the Harlem Renaissance shared a single goal in their work: to express their identify as both African and American. However, their approaches varied. Some artists sought to capture details of everyday life, including the tension of a segregated society. Other wanted to portray the dignity and independence of their people. Still other African American artists chose to focus on elements of folklore in their art.

The Harlem Renaissance marked the first time that many African American artists could work professionally at their craft. Foundations offered private funding to African Americans artists. Public art projects employed many artists during the Great Depression of the 1930s. As a result, African Americans were able to infuse American's cultural landscape with their vitality and their dreams.