[Zoom Art Lecture] African American Culture in NYC Public Art

African-Americans have been part of New York since the days of New Amsterdam, but their
relationship to the dominant Western society is complex and difficult. Public art throughout the city reflects the changing dynamics: a marker for the original slave market has only been set up recently; the African Burial Ground had been built over and neglected until its discovery in the 1990s and now is graced with a very impressive memorial. Several 19th century sculptures include often controversial representations of African Americans, but it’s only in recent times that we are catching up on filling in the historical gaps and honoring people like Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass. Increasingly more black artists have recently been commissioned to create most inspirational public art works for NYC, performative, temporary as well as permanent. Artists include Pope L., Martin Puryear, Kara Walker, Hank Willis Thomas, Nari Ward, Simone Leigh and many others.

Sylvia Laudien-Meo is an art historian who has been working as an art professional in various capacities for the past 3 decades: teaching at NYC art museums (MoMA, Guggenheim, and the Jewish Museum); guiding art and architecture tours for the Municipal Art Society, Brandeis, and UFT, as well as private clients; teaching at Fairleigh Dickinson University; and now mostly offering virtual tours and lectures with clients including OLLI of Dominican University, the 92nd Street Y, the New York Adventure Club, and many libraries.

Sylvia was born and raised in Germany and came to the US as an Art History graduate student on a scholarship for Columbia University, after working and raising her family in NYC, she just recently relocated to St. Petersburg, FL.

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