The Museum of African American Art

The Museum of African American Art has operated forty years. The museum allows art work to be exhibited for local artist and this is a space for field trips from public schools. The museum included the Palmer C. Hayden Collection. The collection is apart of the MAAA. The exhibit allowed the public to look into the life of an artist who was a part of the Harlem Renaissance. Gives the public a few of how African American life use to be for an artistic who lived during this time.

  African American history is exhibited at The Museum of African American Art. With some of the most well-known Palmer C. Hayden Collection. African American history is shown through the oil paintings by the historian Palmer. The Museum is open to African American art. The art that is in the museum brings some much awareness to the African American life during 1920-1970. The paintings show life during Harlem Renaissance.  

            The Museum of African American Art was started in 1976 by art artist historian Dr. Samella Lewis. Dr. Samella Lewis objective was to increase public awareness of African American Art. The Museum has been a nonprofit museum for forty years. The museum is located inside of Macy, which is a generous donation from Macy on the space.  The museum helps art and artist of local Los Angeles residents. The exhibits lead the artist and their art to motivate a new way of thinking on issues that lead the African diaspora and beyond.

      The museum displays The Palmer C. Hayden Collection, this gives the public a look into one of the leading artist during the Harlem Renaissance. The collection includes the John Henry series which consist of twelve oil paintings by Palmer Hayden that illustrates the legendary story told in the poem of John Henry. The museum includes objects from Africa, the Caribbean, the South Pacific, and the South America. The artwork John Henry comes to life in the museum. Palmer C. Hayden’s collection includes twelve paintings. The paintings also include three pictures that help associated the paintings and bring them together.

       Palmer C. Hayden was a painter from New York City. His first art instruction was through correspondence courses. He studied with Asa Grant Randall at Boothbay Art Colony, Maine. He specialized in marine subjects and worked most into the 1930s on Easley painting divisions of federal arm programs. Papers date back from 1920-1970 and show the life during the Harlem Renaissance through the paintings. The work included by Palmer molds the museum of African American art. It helps show the struggles of the African American life. The life comes alive through the paintings.

 

Archives of American Art. Smithsonian. 2018. 04/01/2018. https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/palmer-c-hayden-papers-5588.