A long time ago, before there was a United States of America, people with lighter skin color took people of darker skin color away from their homes and made them work in a foriegn land even if they didn't want to. At the time, it was thought by many light-skinned people that dark-skinned people were not as smart, not as creative, or not as important, just because of the color of their skin. These dark-skinned people came from Africa, and were made to become slaves in the newly discovered lands of America. Today, we know that people are people, no matter what color their skin is, and that creativity and artistic talent can be inside of everyone. The art in the Museum today shows us some of the fabulous drawings, paintings, and sculptures made by the peoples of African descent who grew up in America. African-American Art is now recognized as an important part of our nation's rich and diverse heritage. When African-Americans were still considered slaves, it was difficult for them to learn about art and express themselves artistically. After Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, new opportunities began to open up for people of African descent living in America. They were able to study and practice art, and began to do so as soon as they could. Over 100 years ago, there were some very important African-American artists who painted not only here but also in Europe, too. After the turn of the century, African-American artists felt the need to explore their own culture and their own lives through their art. They felt that art could still be pretty pictures, but that they should tell stories about what made them special, too. Do you like to tell stories with your art? It's fun to discover new stories through art. Let's learn about a few famous African-American artists that are in the museum right now.      Did you know that painter Edward Mitchell Bannister won a national award at the 1876 Philadephia Centennial Exposition? Did you know that Edmonia Lewis' Chippewa name was "Wildfire"? Did you know that Henry Ossawa Tanner was designated a chevalier of the French legion of Honor in 1923? Did you know that artist Hughie Lee-Smith was known as the "Magic Realist" who focused on urban decay? Did you know that Charles White's paintings involved the issues of art, race, and politics? Did you know that James VanDerZee used his art to help to create the period of economic prosperity and education known as the Harlem Renaissance? The following are prompts to help students interpret the meaning of art works in an open-ended fashion, without a predetermined conclusion set by the teacher. Keep in mind that different students will come up with different interpretations and that there may not be a consensus about what the meaning is. Teachers might ask these questions to the class as a whole, or to groups of students. Students keep a written record of their responses to the question, and compare and discuss responses with one another or between groups. What do you think is going on in this art work? What happened earlier in the day, before this moment that you see here? What do you think will happen next? What do you think the people in the work are thinking about? If the people were here in this room and you could hear them talking, what do you think you would hear them say? --What is it about the work that makes you think that? Why do you think the artist made this work? If music were being played for this work, what kind of music would it be? Why? How would you describe this work to someone at home who hasn't seen it? Do any of the people in this work remind you of anybody you know? Who, and why?