British artists recreate ‘A Great Day in Harlem’ photo for Black History Month

By Tobi Thomas, The Guardian

Project marks 40th anniversary of British black arts movement and features emerging black talent

Established and up and coming black artists are to be photographed together, marking the 40th anniversary of the start of the British black arts movement, as part of a series of events for Black History Month in October.

The Black Cultural Archives, based in south London, will be commemorating the occasion by paying homage to the classic 1958 A Great Day in Harlem photograph by organising a group photograph featuring black artists who were part of the original movement alongside emerging talents.

The National Black Art Convention, which in 1982 inspired the launch of the British black arts movement, propelled the careers of many artists, including Keith Piper and Sonia Boyce.

Lisa Anderson, the managing director of the Black Cultural Archives, said the decision to recreate the photograph to celebrate the 40th anniversary since the launch of the British black arts movement was due to a desire to “document the community”.

She added: “I want to celebrate the community, and want there to be a sense of the importance of being documented through photography.

“We wanted to enrich the archive, in particular the way the archive represents the history of some of the pioneering and emerging art makers from the black community.”

Read about England’s Black History Month celebrations.

While England has its own Black History Month, not everyone is familiar with the country’s Black history, including how Cambridge benefited from the slave trade.

More Black culture and history news.