Tell Me Your Story: 100 Years of Storytelling in African American Art

Tell Me Your Story starts with the Harlem Renaissance. Harlem in the 1920s saw a flurry of activity by African American authors, musicians, and theatre makers, resulting in a vibrant visual arts scene. Black culture is currently enjoying another renaissance, and African American artists are more visible than ever in the United States. Tell Me Your Story, at Kunsthal KAdE, Amersfoort, The Netherlands (08.02.–17.05.2020), places contemporary artists in the context of their predecessors. The exhibition was organised as part of Kunsthal KAdE's 2020 trilogy on the United States, inspired by the upcoming presidential election on 3 November.  Published to accompany the exhibition, Tell Me Your Story focuses on five chronological periods: the Harlem Renaissance, Post Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights, Black Renaissance, and the Bloom Generation. The artists in each of these distinct periods shared one common characteristic: the need to express themselves and safeguard the vital African traditio