Spiral (arts alliance)
Encyclopedia
Spiral was a collective of African-American artists initially formed by Romare Bearden
, Charles Alston
, Norman Lewis
, and Hale Woodruff
on July 5, 1963. It has since become the name of an exhibition, Spiral: Perspectives on an African-American Art Collective.
The group was initiated after African-American artists Romare Bearden and Hale Woodruff invited other artists to discussions in Bearden’s loft. Initially the group was concerned with logistical issues, such as obtaining buses to travel to the March on Washington in the summer of 1963. Soon afterward, their efforts turned toward aesthetic concerns, including what author Ralph Ellison
called a “new visual order.” The members of the group were at varying stages in their careers when they first started meeting. While they did agree that their place, as artists, in the civil rights movement was important, they had differing views on what that place would be. The artists in the group were moved to come together and discuss their own engagement in the struggle for civil rights, even though each found engagement in a different way. The collective allowed for a shared response to the courage that defined the struggle for civil rights.
In the years leading up to the formation of Spiral, most of the artists were doing figurative
work. Several started to experiment with abstraction
as they grew as artists and began working more closely together. Bearden expressed the want of collaborating on a collage. But because the group used different techniques and mediums in their works, they decided that there would be other ways to impact the movement. Although the group was active for only a short time, Spiral proved to be important as an historical initiative, and was one of the first artist groups to call for the cultural community's involvement in social change.
The group's only exhibition was May 14 through June 5, 1965, titled First Group Showing: Works in Black and White. The exhibition was in part a response to the trend of major art institutions to overlook the work of African-American artists. Bearden had suggested the exhibition's black-and-white theme because it comprised both socio-political and formal concerns.
The Spiral group was relatively ignored in much traditional art history since its demise. But interest in the group was rekindled by a group exhibition of the collective in Birmingham and New York in 2010-2011, and the associated catalogs. The exhibition looks at the way the Spiral collective came into its own during a period of American history full of unrest, and the varied visual responses of African-American artists.
from December 5, 2010 through April 17, 2011. It was organized by Emily G. Hanna and Amalia Amaki.
The exhibition is now on view at the Studio Museum in Harlem
, July 14 through October 23, 2011.
Romare Bearden
Romare Bearden was an African American artist and writer. He worked in several media including cartoons, oils, and collage.-Education:...
, Charles Alston
Charles Alston
Charles Henry Alston was an African-American painter, sculptor, illustrator, muralist and teacher who lived and worked in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem. Alston was active in the Harlem Renaissance; Alston was the first African American supervisor for the Works Progress Administration's...
, Norman Lewis
Norman Lewis
Norman Lewis was a prolific British writer best known for his travel writing. Though not widely known, "Norman Lewis is one of the best writers, not of any particular decade, but of our century", according to Graham Greene....
, and Hale Woodruff
Hale Woodruff
Hale Aspacio Woodruff was an African American artist known for his murals, paintings, and prints. One example of his work, the three-panel Amistad Mutiny murals , can be found at Talladega College in Talladega County, Alabama...
on July 5, 1963. It has since become the name of an exhibition, Spiral: Perspectives on an African-American Art Collective.
History
Active from the summer of 1963 through 1965, the group of artists met weekly to discuss the role of African-American artists in politics and the civil rights movement, as well as in the larger art world, and organized one group exhibition.The group was initiated after African-American artists Romare Bearden and Hale Woodruff invited other artists to discussions in Bearden’s loft. Initially the group was concerned with logistical issues, such as obtaining buses to travel to the March on Washington in the summer of 1963. Soon afterward, their efforts turned toward aesthetic concerns, including what author Ralph Ellison
Ralph Ellison
Ralph Waldo Ellison was an American novelist, literary critic, scholar and writer. He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ellison is best known for his novel Invisible Man, which won the National Book Award in 1953...
called a “new visual order.” The members of the group were at varying stages in their careers when they first started meeting. While they did agree that their place, as artists, in the civil rights movement was important, they had differing views on what that place would be. The artists in the group were moved to come together and discuss their own engagement in the struggle for civil rights, even though each found engagement in a different way. The collective allowed for a shared response to the courage that defined the struggle for civil rights.
In the years leading up to the formation of Spiral, most of the artists were doing figurative
Figurative art
Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork—particularly paintings and sculptures—which are clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational.-Definition:...
work. Several started to experiment with abstraction
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
as they grew as artists and began working more closely together. Bearden expressed the want of collaborating on a collage. But because the group used different techniques and mediums in their works, they decided that there would be other ways to impact the movement. Although the group was active for only a short time, Spiral proved to be important as an historical initiative, and was one of the first artist groups to call for the cultural community's involvement in social change.
The group's only exhibition was May 14 through June 5, 1965, titled First Group Showing: Works in Black and White. The exhibition was in part a response to the trend of major art institutions to overlook the work of African-American artists. Bearden had suggested the exhibition's black-and-white theme because it comprised both socio-political and formal concerns.
The Spiral group was relatively ignored in much traditional art history since its demise. But interest in the group was rekindled by a group exhibition of the collective in Birmingham and New York in 2010-2011, and the associated catalogs. The exhibition looks at the way the Spiral collective came into its own during a period of American history full of unrest, and the varied visual responses of African-American artists.
Artists
- Romare BeardenRomare BeardenRomare Bearden was an African American artist and writer. He worked in several media including cartoons, oils, and collage.-Education:...
-collages, watercolors, oils, and prints - Hale WoodruffHale WoodruffHale Aspacio Woodruff was an African American artist known for his murals, paintings, and prints. One example of his work, the three-panel Amistad Mutiny murals , can be found at Talladega College in Talladega County, Alabama...
-murals, paintings, prints - Norman LewisNorman LewisNorman Lewis was a prolific British writer best known for his travel writing. Though not widely known, "Norman Lewis is one of the best writers, not of any particular decade, but of our century", according to Graham Greene....
-painter - Charles AlstonCharles AlstonCharles Henry Alston was an African-American painter, sculptor, illustrator, muralist and teacher who lived and worked in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem. Alston was active in the Harlem Renaissance; Alston was the first African American supervisor for the Works Progress Administration's...
-painter, sculptor, illustrator, and teacher - Emma AmosEmma AmosEmma Amos is an English actress best known for playing Yvonne Sparrow in the last three series of time travel sitcom Goodnight Sweetheart alongside Nicholas Lyndhurst. She replaced original actress Michelle Holmes who held the role from 1993-1996...
-painter, mixed media - Calvin Douglass-painter
- Perry FergusonPerry FergusonPerry Ferguson was an American art director. He was nominated for five Academy Awards in the category Best Art Direction.He was born in Texas and died in Los Angeles, California.-Selected filmography:...
-painter - Reginald Gammon-oil paints, watercolors, drawings, and prints
- Felrath Hines-abstract expressionismAbstract expressionismAbstract expressionism was an American post–World War II art movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris...
- Alvin HollingsworthAlvin HollingsworthAlvin Hollingsworth , whose pseudonyms included Alvin Holly, was an African-American painter and one of the first Black artists in comic books.-Early life and comics:...
-comics, paints - William Majors-drawing, painting, paper collages, 3D canvases
- Richard Mayhew-painter
- Earl Miller-painting, pencil drawings
- Merton D. Simpson-abstract paintings
- James Yeargans-painter
Name
Woodruff suggested the name "spiral" in reference to the Archimedean spiral that "moves outward embracing all directions, yet continually upward". The name also represented the diversity of styles and interests represented by the work of the members as they "sought to move toward common goals as individual artists and as African-American people".Exhibitions
Spiral: Perspectives on an African-American Art Collective was on view at the Birmingham Museum of ArtBirmingham Museum of Art
Founded in 1951, the Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, Alabama today has one of the finest collections in the Southeast US, with more than 24,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative arts representing a numerous diverse cultures, including Asian, European, American,...
from December 5, 2010 through April 17, 2011. It was organized by Emily G. Hanna and Amalia Amaki.
The exhibition is now on view at the Studio Museum in Harlem
Studio Museum in Harlem
The Studio Museum in Harlem is an American contemporary art museum in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, New York. It was founded in 1968 as the first such museum in the U.S. devoted to the art of African-Americans, specializing in 19th and 20th century work as well work of artists of...
, July 14 through October 23, 2011.
Reviews
External links
- http://www.artsbma.org/exhibitions/past-exhibitions/item/16-spiral-perspectives-on-an-african-american-art-collective|SpiralPerspective on an African-American Art Collective at the Birmingham Museum of ArtBirmingham Museum of ArtFounded in 1951, the Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, Alabama today has one of the finest collections in the Southeast US, with more than 24,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative arts representing a numerous diverse cultures, including Asian, European, American,...
] - Studio Museum Harlem
- Art Topics: “Romare Bearden and SPIRAL” 2010.