Theaster Gates Instagram – Embedded in the Johnson Publishing Company Library at the Bank, the repository of knowledge accessed by the editors of Jet and Ebony Magazines, is James Weldon Johnson’s The Book of American Negro Spirituals (1925). Containing the scores and lyrics of 61 spirituals, it was common for our communities to sing these on Jubilee day.
Johnson was a poet, novelist, civil rights leader, lawyer, lyricist and mentor to many of the Harlem Renaissance artists, among them Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. In 1900, he co-wrote the classic “Lift Every Voice and Sing” with his brother John Rosamond Johnson, who provided musical arrangements for this volume.
Tomorrow, for our Juneteenth event at the Stony Island Arts Bank, musician Yaw Agyeman will respond to this object through musical exploration and experimentation. This program is an extension of the work that we are doing to engage artists, scholars and cultural producers around our archives. To learn more about this event, visit the link in our bio. | Posted on 18/Jun/2024 22:49:21
