AFRICOBRA: Experimental Art Toward a School of Thought

Formed on the South Side of Chicago in 1968 at the height of the civil rights, Black Power, and Black Arts movements, the AFRICOBRA collective created a new artistic visual language rooted in the culture of Chicago’s Black neighborhoods.

The collective’s aesthetics, especially the use of vibrant color, capture the rhythmic dynamism of Black culture and social life. In this publication, painter, photographer, and collective co-founder, Wadsworth A. Jarrell tells the definitive story of the group’s creation, history, and artistic and political principles. From accounts of the painting of the groundbreaking  Wall of Respect mural and conversations among group members to documentation of AFRICOBRA’s exhibits in Chicago, New York, and Boston, Jarrell outlines how the collective challenged white conceptions of art by developing an artistic philosophy and approach wholly divested of Western practices.

Author: Wadsworth A. Jarrell
Page Count: 264
Publisher: Duke University Press Books
Year: 2020
Size:  7 × 10  in.