SACRAMENTO, CA.- The Crocker Art Museum brings together 31 works by 23 prominent African American artists in an exhibition that opened on Sunday, February 18, 2018. Titled Hopes Springing High: Gifts of Art by African American Artists, the exhibition takes its name from the poem “Still I Rise” by acclaimed poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. All of the works in this exhibition have been recently acquired by or gifted to the Crocker, and will remain in the Museum’s permanent collection.

“The Crocker Art Museum has had a long history of presenting the work of artists of color to the public,” said the Museum’s Executive Director and CEO, Lial Jones. “I’m delighted to continue this tradition with the works in this show and others.”

One of the most dynamic movements in African American art, the Harlem Renaissance was a time of new freedoms, ideas, and cultural expression during the 1920s. While many artists struggled during the Great Depression and were forced to set their creative passions aside, several key organizations and foundations found ways to support them. These efforts were bolstered in the 1930s by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration (WPA), which provided for all American artists. With assistance from the WPA, many African American artists continued to work and create, exploring new art forms and taking bold steps with subject matter. In 1935, a group of African American artists and art professors with the WPA formed the Harlem Artists Guild, which established community art centers in cities throughout the nation. While the WPA program was terminated by the end of the decade, its work helped many notable African American artists establish or continue their careers and make enduring and important contributions to American culture.

The mid-20th century was an especially challenging time for African American artists. Most were self-taught, and few were widely accepted. A small number were able to travel overseas and attract attention in major European cities, and some gained a foothold in New York. As the Civil Rights movement found its voice in the 1960s and 70s, African American artists documented the diverse emotions of the time in their work, and more of them were welcomed into an increasing number of galleries and community art centers across the nation. During this time, women began to express themselves more freely, addressing racism and sexism in their artwork.

Over the past several decades, the Crocker Art Museum has continued to build its collection based on the values of the Crocker family, who not only welcomed cultural and ethnic diversity, but made a special point of advocating as abolitionists for the freedom of African Americans.

“Hopes Springing High provides an opportunity for visitors to learn more about the work of some of America’s most important artists in the context of the Crocker’s diverse and growing collection,” said the Museum’s assistant curator, Christie Hajela. “Many of the works in the show address the social or political inequities of history, as well as the challenges of today. And, as the exhibition title suggests, the works are often meant as agents of change.”

Hopes Springing High will be on view at the Crocker through July 15, 2018.