Uphold Your Men
Object Details
- Caption
- Carolyn Mims Lawrence was an original member of the African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists (AfriCOBRA), an American artist collective founded in 1968. AfriCOBRA’s primary mission was “the liberation of Black people through the arts.” The group espoused several visual and philosophical principals, including promoting positive aspects of African and African American history and culture. Uphold Your Men is an excellent example of AfriCOBRA’s interest in reflecting Black beauty and heritage through imagery. For example, the woman in Lawrence’s print wears her hair in the afro style, and her necklace is adorned with an ankh, an ancient Egyptian symbol that means life. Her incorporation of bold, graphic text also emphasizes the importance of unity within African American communities, in this instance, the essential role Black men occupy within the family unit.
- Description
- This colorful silk screen print depicts a female figure wearing a long red dress in the center of the image. She wears a blue ankh necklace, an Afro hairstyle, and has a spiral symbol on her forehead. She stands with her arms crossed, against a red and orange background with graphic shapes and letters in bright yellow, blue, and green with black accents. The letters spell out [UPHOLD YOUR MEN] across the top and [UNIFY YOUR FAMILIES] across the bottom. The artist's signature is in blue in the bottom right corner of the image. The print is also signed along the bottom margin in pencil by the artist and several AfriCOBRA members: Gerald Williams, Napoleon Henderson, Jae Jarrell, Howard R. Mallory, Jr. and Barbara Jones-Hogu.
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Date
- 1971
- Object number
- 2014.130.4
- Created by
- Carolyn Mims Lawrence, American, born 1940
- Subject of
- AfriCOBRA, founded 1968
- Signed by
- Carolyn Mims Lawrence, American, born 1940
- Gerald Williams, American, born 1941
- Napoleon Jones-Henderson, American, born 1943
- Jae Jarrell, American, born 1935
- Howard R. Mallory Jr., American, 1930 - 2012
- Barbara Jones-Hogu, American, 1938 - 2017
- Restrictions & Rights
- Unknown – Restrictions Possible
- Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
- Type
- screen prints
- Medium
- printing ink on paper
- Dimensions
- H x W: 30 × 24 in. (76.2 × 61 cm)
- Place made
- Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
- See more items in
- National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
- Classification
- Visual Arts
- Movement
- BAM (Black Arts Movement 1965-1976)
- Topic
- African American
- Art
- Families
- Gender
- Men
- Resistance
- Women
- Record ID
- nmaahc_2014.130.4
