ABSTRACT
In African American Art and Artists, Samella Lewis describes African American artists’ relationship to their community as evocative of call-and-response musical traditions in that it draws upon, amplifies, and elaborates a larger collective experience and history. The recovery and preservation of this social voice works against the inheritance of severed memory and disenfranchisement wrought by slavery. Born in Oakland in 1872, Pauline Powell Burns’ artistic pursuits likely took place within the context of leisure activities deemed suitable for women. Afro-Californian artists residing outside of the Bay Area did not have access to commissions offered by the Works Progress Administration-Federal Art Project and faced significant obstacles while trying to sustain careers. In 1962, Ruth Waddy formed Art West Associated, a professional organization for African American artists in response to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s refusal to host an exhibition of African American art in commemoration of the centennial anniversary of emancipation.
