And More
On View: Down Under in Harlem 360 by Art in FLUX
Wednesday, June 25 2014
The essay “Down Under in Harlem” by Langston Hughes published on March 27, 1944 in The New Republic inspires the Art in FLUX exhibition, Down Under in Harlem 360. Langston writes about the dichotomies between the affluent residents of Sugar Hill and the majority of residents in Greater Harlem.
Today the Sugar Hill area is characterized by a high poverty rate, overcrowded housing, escalating housing costs, and low educational performance. These statistics stand in sharp contrast to the heritage of Sugar Hill, one of New York City’s architecturally and historically rich neighborhoods.
Sugar Hill was named during the 1920’s as an epicenter of the Harlem Renaissance when African-American cultural, intellectual and social prominence and wealth flourished. Reflective of the "sweet life" there, Sugar Hill featured row houses for such prominent African-Americans as Langston Hughes, W.E.B. DuBois, Thurgood Marshall, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Duke Ellington, Joe Louis, Lena Horne, and Cab Calloway.
Through their installations these artists reflect and question the 360-degree shift in this upper Manhattan neighborhood called Sugar Hill.
Artists
Michele Brody
Ula Einstein
Ivan Forde
Ruth Mora
Jeffrey Allen Price
Suprina
Anthony Thomas
About Art in FLUX
Art In FLUX creates opportunity for artists living and/or working in Harlem, brings art into public spaces, creates a positive use for underutilized spaces and stimulates a vibrant neighborhood by merging art, commerce and community. Art In FLUX Harlem was launched in 2012 and since then has popped up in empty retail spaces, on the streets, in restaurants, schools and lobbies bringing art closer to the community as well as attracting media attention and art collectors to the diverse group of artists in Harlem.
Photo Credit : ©Ula Einstein
Related Exhibition: If You Build It
