The Arts
Stowe’s landmark novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, has often been cited as one of the causes of the Civil War. She became outraged by written accounts of the injustice and cruelty of the slave system and traveled to the South to investigate it herself. The material she gathered became the source for Uncle Tom’s Cabin; or Life Among the Lowly. The book, which was first published in 1831 in serial form in an abolitionist newspaper, became an immediate sensation, soon gaining worldwide popularity. Stowe was also an ardent supporter of women’s rights, and she collaborated with her sister, Catherine Beecher, on nineteen domestic-science books.
The Arts
Ira Aldridge was born around 1805. His place of birth has been listed as Africa but more often Bel Air, Maryland. He was apprenticed as a carpenter under a German immigrant. Aldridge learned carpentry as well as German. Because of the lack of schools for African-Americans in Maryland, Aldridge moved to New York and attended the African Free School and Schenectady College. It was at Schenectady that Aldridge became interested in acting. He raised money and moved to Glasgow, Scotland.
He studied at the University of Glasgow, developing voice projection and dramatic skills. Aldridge was so gifted that by 1837 he was drawing crowds to see him portray Shakespearian roles. Aldridge was such a great actor that he performed for the president of the U.S., Queen Victoria and the Archduch of Chambory. He received many awards and was heavily decorated. Aldridge was even the first African-American to become a knight. He married twice and was divorced once. Aldridge died in Poland in 1867. At the Shakespearean Memorial Theatre in Stratford-On-Avon, England, a chair is dedicated to the memory of Ira Aldridge.
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Freedom’s People
(1941-42)
The first substantial program in mass media devoted exclusively to African-American life and history. Freedom’s People was a 9-part series on NBC exploring black history and achievements in areas like music, science, industry and sports. Created by Ambrose Caliver, a black official in the Office of Education, Freedom’s People earned critical acclaim. It features the contributions of leading black intellectuals, artists and activists.
The Arts
1892 – 1962
A major Harlem Renaissance figure, Savage began creating clay figures as a child, but she did not begin formal art studies until she moved to New York City in 1921. Her bust of black intellectual W.E.B. Du Bois was well received, and Savage then produced likenesses of other prominent black figures, including Frederick Douglass and Marcus Garvey. From 1929 to 1932 Savage studied in Paris. Upon returning to New York, she founded the Savage School of Arts and Crafts in Harlem. In the 1930s she arranged for black artists to receive commissions from the Works Progress Administration. Savage also opened New York’s first black art gallery in 1939. In the 1940s, Savage retired and moved to Saugerties, N.Y.
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1917 ? 2000
b. Atlantic City, N.J. In Lawrence’s work social themes, often detailing the African-American experience, are expressed in angular, colorful, and richly decorative effects. He has executed many cycles of paintings, including the Migration, (completed 1941, Museum of Modern Art and Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.), Coast Guard, and Builders series. His War series and Tombstones are in the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City. Lawrence is also known for his vivid prints and has taught at several major art schools in New York City.
The Arts
Thelonious Sphere Monk (/θəˈloʊniəs/ October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including “‘Round Midnight”, “Blue Monk”, “Straight, No Chaser”, “Ruby, My Dear”, “In Walked Bud”, and “Well, You Needn’t”. Monk is the second-most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington.
Monk’s compositions and improvisations feature dissonances and angular melodic twists, often using flat ninths, flat fifths, unexpected chromatic notes together, low bass notes and stride, and fast whole tone runs, combining a highly percussive attack with abrupt, dramatic use of switched key releases, silences, and hesitations.
Monk’s distinct look included suits, hats, and sunglasses. He also had an idiosyncratic habit during performances: while other musicians continued playing, Monk would stop, stand up, and dance for a few moments before returning to the piano. Monk is one of five jazz musicians to have been featured on the cover of Time (the others being Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, and Wynton Marsalis).
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