Virginia Tech School of Education

1. Faces and Places of the
Harlem Renaissance
"Harlem was not so much a place as it was
a state of mind, a cultural metaphor for
black America itself."
– Dr. Henry Louis Gates

2. Introduction
You will study the art, music, literature, and dance from the
1920’s and 1930’s, the period known as the Harlem Renaissance,
to develop a knowledge of the influential social, political, and
economic factors of the day and to identify how events of the
time period helped shape the nation’s future.
You will recognize the value of art as a medium for self-expression
by using MMUVA (Movement through MUsic and Visual Arts),
an innovative art creation program, to create unique artwork
which reflects the political, social, and economic themes of your
own generation.
Finally, you will reflect on the artwork you create to examine
connections between the movement you use to create the art, the
art itself, and the themes expressed in your art.

3. Your Objectives:
~ Explain the prominent political, social, and economic factors in the lives of
African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance era.
~ Explore the art, music, literature, dance, and media of the Harlem Renaissance
Era to identify how themes of the time period are reflected in the various
mediums.
~ Recognize art as a valuable medium for self-expression by creating abstract visual
art which reflects important themes of your own generation.
~ Reflect on your art to describe the relationship between the music and
movement used to create it and the themes reflected in it.

4. 1. Visit web sites to learn about famous artists, authors,
musicians, and dancers from the Harlem Renaissance era.
a) Identify the social, political, and economic themes of the time period.
b) Describe how the themes are reflected in the works you review.
2. Create a unique piece of art, using the MMUVA program,
which reflects the themes of your generation.
a) Analyze how artists use their medium for self-expression and apply that
knowledge as you create your own work of art.
b) Choose a piece of music from the Harlem Renaissance era which reflects
themes in your own generation.
3. Reflect
a) Reflect on your artwork in a paper which describes the correlation between
the movement, music, and themes conveyed in the product.
Your Mission

5. Webquest Navigation
First-time visitors:
Click to continue.
Returning visitors:
Click on a link to the left to choose the
topic you’d like to study during this visit.
Literature
Art
Overview
Music
MMUVA
Dance
Reflections

6. Overview
The Harlem Renaissance was a period during which prominent
African Americans in Harlem, New York led a movement towards
social equality. It was a time of growth and success for aspiring artists,
writers, musicians, dancers, and intellectuals that served to redefine
African Americans at the end of an era of slavery. Its onset was
preceded by the Great Migration, a period when nearly one-third of
all African Americans migrated from the south to northern cities.
Click here to learn more about the Great Migration.
~ Complete the Great Migration puzzle to test your learning.
Watch this video for an overview of the Harlem Renaissance.
Home

7. Exploring MMUVA
o MMUVA stands for Movement with Music and Visual Art. Watch
this video to see what it does and how it works.
o Who created MMUVA, and why? Watch this video to learn more
about its inspiration.
o During your work time, you and your team members will have time
to play with MMUVA for yourself.
Home

8. Art
“If at times my productions do not express the conventionally beautiful, there is always
an effort to express the universal beauty of man's continuous struggle to lift his social
position and to add dimension to his spiritual being.”
-Jacob Lawrence
The political and social influences of the Harlem Renaissance
inspired many artists to produce works which reflected the black
identity. Music was often a major inspiration as well, and artists like
Aaron Douglas, Jacob Lawrence, and Palmer Hayden found subjects
for their artwork in the music venues around Harlem.
o Review the art of Aaron Douglas, Jacob Lawrence, or Palmer
Hayden using one or more of the web sites below:
Drop Me Off in Harlem
Artcyclopedia
Artlex
Huntfor
o Use your Notes Page to reflect on your findings.
Home

9. Literature
"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly."
-Langston Hughes
The popularity of African American literature grew rapidly during the
Harlem Renaissance. Writers contributed to the shift in perception
from the inferior “Old Negro” to the independent and intellectual
“New Negro.”
o Explore the work of popular authors of the Harlem
Renaissance using the web sites listed below. Use your notes
page to reflect on your findings.
Drop Me Off in Harlem
Harlem Literature
Modern American Poetry
o Use your Notes Page to reflect on your findings.
Home

10. Music
“Put it this way. Jazz is a good barometer of freedom.”
-Duke Ellington
Music is able to transcend race and political preference while invoking
the deepest of emotions sometimes without saying a word. Harlem
was the center of a musical evolution which uncovered amazing talent
and created a unique sound that has yet to be paralleled (John Carroll
University Web Site).
o Explore the musicians of the Harlem Renaissance using the
web sites listed below.
Drop Me Off in Harlem
Harlem Singers and Musicians
o Use your Notes Page to reflect on your findings.
Home

11. Dance
“Out on the dance floor, everyone, dickty and rat, rubbed joyous elbows, laughing,
mingling, forgetting differences, but whenever the music stopped everyone immediately
sought their own level.”
-Rudolf Fisher on the Savoy Ballroom
For many African Americans in Harlem, dance was not necessarily a
form of entertainment but rather a way to temporarily escape from the
realities and difficulties of the time. Many new dances, such as the
Lindy Hop, the Jitterbug, and West Coast Swing evolved during the
Harlem Renaissance.
o Explore the dancers and dances of the time period using the
links below:
Drop Me Off in Harlem
Honi Coles – A Class Act
o Use your Notes Page to reflect on your findings
Home

12. Moving to the Groove
o You will make abstract art with MMUVA, which stands for
Movement with MUsic and Visual Art.
o Working in groups, discuss the themes you identified from your
research of the Harlem Renaissance. Next, brainstorm themes that
are relevant to your own generation.
o Identify ways to express the themes of your generation through
movement. Use what you learned about dance! For example, does
slow movement represent oppression? How would you express
discrimination?
o Decide on a piece of music to use as you choreograph your
movement. The music should represent the same themes.
o Use the MMUVA program to generate artwork which illustrates
the themes you identified.
Home

13. Reflections
o Review what you have learned about the Harlem Renaissance and
the plight of African Americans during the 1920s and 1930s.
o Identify any similarities and differences between the themes of the
Harlem Renaissance and themes of modern society.
o Reflect on the MMUVA work you created. How do the themes you
identified correlate to the movement you used to create the art, and
how are those themes reflected in your final artwork?
Home

14. Credits
Lesson Resource:
http://www.soe.vt.edu/IDEAS/MMUVA-harlemproject.html
Lesson developed by:
o Teri Finn
o Phyllis Leary Newbill
o Liesl Baum