Hilda Robinson

Raymond Haywood

Jeanette Madden

Select any artist above to view their works

This exhibit seeks to examine the deep relationship African Americans have with urban life and culture. Since the end of the Civil War, freed Blacks migrated to Northeastern cities. Black culture continued to develop, including the Harlem Renaissance (see sidebar); well known for its jazz, literary and art scenes. Even today, movements like Hip Hop and Rap Music are associated with urban life.

This exhibit features artists Hilda Robinson, Raymond Haywood and Jeanette Madden; all living in Oakland, California, a West Coast city with highly developed African American culture. Despite the generational differences in their age, the exhibit highlights how each artist is affected, indeed romanced by urban culture and trends, and how "urbanity" is expressed in their works.

Senior artist Hilda Robinson presents us with strong, vibrant colors of urban scenes. While her radiant colors and tranquil forms point towards optimism, an undercurrent of contemplation, buried deep in the paint texture, belies this appearance of unexamined comfort and content. It is this complex relationship, personal to the artist herself as she struggled to succeed in an urban environment, which comes through in her works.

Emerging artist Raymond Haywood creates compositions that reflect upon his urban upbringing- a densely layered juxtaposition of diverse images, including saw blades, cartoon figures, numbers and letters. Through this symphony of colors and two-dimensional shapes, he attempts to capture a moment in time that is both ethereal and persistent.

In her recent figurative/abstract works, mid-career artist Jeanette Madden captures the subject's inner space. As counter play to this tranquility, she immerses the subject in the minutiae of urban sophistication, as informed by her use of unconventional mixed media such as brass screws and beads. Most recently she developed a series of mixed media works referencing Black women's hair, with all the complexity, varied treatments and trends that are germane to this genre.

Each of these artists poses their own unique life experiences and artistic expressions, as informed and influenced by their urban living environment. This exhibit highlights the relations and influences of these urban encounters. Furthermore, it suggests that these influences go back to the turn of the 20th century, when Blacks began their foray into American cities, thus contributing significantly to the collective cultures within these cities.

Exhibition sponsored by Thompson Hospitality & Compass Group

Harlem Renaissance

and Black migration

Known as the Great Migration (1913-1946), many Blacks left the racist tinged and economically depressed rural South, seeking a more progressive life in Northeastern cities. This migration became particularly prevalent after WWI, when the American economy was strong (the Roaring 20's) and urban life offered the most progressive opportunities and living conditions. With these modernist changes, art and culture also advanced rapidly. The culmination of this age was known as the Harlem Renaissance, where a thriving literary, theater, jazz and fine arts scene emerged. In addition to New York's Harlem, this scene occurred in other major American cities such as Chicago and Philadelphia.