African American Artists

February is Black History Month, and I’d like to acknowledge the tremendous debt I owe to African American intellectuals, writers, activists and artists. Without their vision, dedication, wisdom and stirring examples, I would not be the artist I am today. My first stirrings of consciousness came in the early 1960’s when I was exposed to the civil rights movement as a pre-teen, and I’ve never stopped turning to Black America for cultural/political inspiration. All throughout this month I’ll be writing about the Black artists who have influenced me -the renowned, obscure, notorious, the old and the new.