Close Up in Black: African-American Film Posters

April 26–July 17, 2003
The Wolfsonian–FIU @ 1001 Washington Avenue

Close Up in Black: African-American Film Posters looked at African-American cinema through the vibrant medium of movie posters, chiefly from the Edward Mapp Collection in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Margaret Herrick Library. Starting with posters from producer/director Oscar Micheaux, who began producing black cinema in 1918, these artworks traced the development of the roles African Americans have played on screen and behind the scenes. The exhibition paid tribute to the pioneering performers, writers, designers, directors, and producers whose work, much of which has not survived the passage of time, has been seen by only a very few.

Close Up in Black traced the stereotypes and racism faced by African Americans during the industry's infancy, to the arrival of the “talkies” in Hollywood in the 1920s, which coincided with the Harlem Renaissance and opened some doors for black performers, up through the Second World War. Featured stars included Ethel Waters, Duke Ellington, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Josephine Baker, Stepin Fetchit, and Hattie McDaniel—whose talents and skills transcended their oftentimes small, one-dimensional roles, and helped awaken the social consciousness of the nation.

The exhibition was organized by The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with The Smithsonian Center for African American History and Culture and The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.