Freeport Library discusses Black art from Chicago to Harlem to Paris

The Freeport Memorial Library closed out its Black History Month celebration on Feb. 25, when art historian and professor Dennis Raverty was invited to discuss the vibrant African American art scene during the Harlem Renaissance.

Raverty spoke about the contributions of several African American artists from the early 20th century and the often-complicated context these artists lived in and how they portrayed that in their work.

The library program, titled “When Harlem was Hot,” was initially slated to be an in-person presentation, but was moved online via Zoom due to the blizzard that occurred earlier in the week, impacting Freeport and much of the surrounding region. Still, over 20 devices tuned in to the discussion.

Tanisha Mitchell, a librarian at the Freeport library, stated that the presentation was held in conjunction with the 2025-26 Arts Season at the library, dubbed “Modern Arts in the 20^th Century,” which intersected with Black History Month.

Raverty, a retired associate professor of art history at New Jersey City University, detailed during the presentation that one of his specialties in art history is West African art. Since the beginning of his professional life, however, Raverty noted that recognition and inclusion of art from the Black Diaspora was largely missing from history books.

“It wasn’t until 1992 when art history started to commonly include Black artists,” Raverty lamented.

Raverty explained that this pattern of exclusion for Black art precedes him and even the Harlem Renaissance artists he spoke of from the 1920s and 1930s. The only mainstream art of Black people in Western culture typically resulted in caricatures that intended to exaggerate or insult Black faces and culture, and Black artists could rarely break into the white-dominated intellectual art society.

Raverty described Black artists as later taking the position of “we’ve been taken out of history, so we’ll put ourselves back into history.”

One of the key points of Raverty’s talk was that he believed the term “Harlem Renaissance” inadequately portrays the widespread movement and impact of Black urban life. He stated that the term “New Negro Movement,” which had been used more commonly in the past, is more accurate, as Black art and culture was strengthened outside of Harlem in places like Chicago and Paris.

Similar to New York City, Chicago was a desirable urban destination for many Black people in the southern United States. The military draft of Black men into World War I and their mass deployment in France helped lead to an eventual growth in Black artwork of various forms internationally.

The majority of Raverty’s presentation primarily focused on the work of painters Aaron Douglas and Archibald Motley Jr. During the presentation, Raverty displayed and discussed the symbolism and complex scenes portrayed in various paintings and other art forms from the era.

Despite all the positive contributions of these artists, Raverty mentioned, “African Americans were a part of the disparaging of African culture as primitive.” He explained that the artwork often further perpetuated inaccurate characterizations of African people and culture by the African Americans who depicted it.

Further education on true African culture and appreciation would later come, however, as artists would later draw inspiration from the grandeur of African empires of old, like in ancient Egypt.

Being a white man has not stopped Raverty from appreciating the artworks of diverse artists and studying the context of what an artist depicted and dealt with in their own lives.

Raverty stated that his appreciation for Harlem Renaissance or New Negro Movement art has gone as far as working with a descendant of Motley to learn more about the artist’s life and mindset. He also expressed approval over the increase in female artists in the industry over the last few decades.

Raverty said he also wrote a book for undergraduate college art students, titled “Struggle Over the Modern,” which looks at a more diverse look at art history and examining the work of other illustrators.

Attendees did not let the online experience dampen their appreciation for the art talk, and concluded the program by asking Raverty questions and inquiring about his work on art history.

Mitchell stated that future art talks and classical music concerts at the library are to be scheduled for later this year.