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Striking, vivid, and compelling, the works of Aaron Douglas have inspired artists for generations, and with my Douglas-inspired piece, "Shadows of Hope," his style will once again come alive.  Yet I sought to do more than just replicate this style.  I wanted to actually create a moving and vivacious experience to reveal more meaning in the essence of Douglas' art.  I therefore created my world of shadow through the art of Shadow Theater.  I hung a large white sheet over an entranceway in my house and proceeded to cut out and hang up shapes to resemble the setting of Douglas' painting, "Inter Human Bondage."  I used a slide projector for the light source.  Semi-transparent butcher paper provided the subtle and mysteriously surreal colored shadows.  Then I brought the characters to life through an original interpretive theater performance depicting the themes in Douglas' "Inter Human Bondage: and "Study of God's Trombone."
 
One main theme of "Inter Human Bondage" is irony, as the character follow a guiding star not to freedom but from Africa into slavery.  Irony was also an important theme in my work, as I created a contradictory environment through the use of the song "What a Wonderful World" in the presence of the clear fear and tragedy of being taken into slavery.  Yet, the main theme is in connection to the Harlem Renaissance and the reconnection with African roots.  My performance tells the story of a young African woman's enslavement and preaches a message of
betrayal, but more importantly, of hope and change – important themes of the Harlem Renaissance.  Intermixture and juxtaposition of African and Harlem Renaissance era music are also used to show the development and intermixing of cultures.