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| Langston
Hughes Tapestry Lindsey Sadler Through reading Langston Hughes' poems from the Harlem Renaissance period, I was inspired to create an artistic piece that reflects his style. I selected sewing as my artistic style because it is a lost art. Not just African-Americans sewed during this period, everyone had the skill. Lois Alexander Lane, an African-American woman, was the founder of the Harlem Institute of Fashion. One l=highlight of the museum is a collection of Ann Lowe's dresses, also an African-American woman. She disigned for wealthy white patrons such as the Rockefellers, Roosevelts and Duponts. She also designed the wedding gown for Jacquiline Kennedy. The theme I chose to explore is the creation of a new Negro culture, which includes the art of music and poems. The process I went through to create my project is simple. I learned how to sew when I was younger and prefer it to other art forms. First, I thought about sewing a quilt, but soon realized that quilting did not connect nearly as much as sewing did to the Harlem Renaissance period. While exploring Langston Hughes' poems I learned that not only did he write very strong poetry, but he was also quite influential in the creation of the new Negro culture. I came upon the cover of one of his books of poems entitled "The Weary Blues." I felt the picture on the cover reflected the style of art seen during the 1920s and decided that I would sew a tapestry similar to that book cover. |