Introduction

This lesson plan introduces a selection of historical works from the collection of the National Gallery of Canada by artists’ of African descent and portraits of individuals of African descent.

These paintings, sculptures, and photographs open doors onto aspects of the social history of the African diaspora, the lives of individual artists, the places and people they portrayed, and changing artistic practises in Western art.

Title:

People of African Descent

Theme:

Black History Month is celebrated across North America each February as a way of honouring the achievements of people of African descent in science, medicine, sports, literature, and the visual and performing arts. Black History Month grew out of what was known as Negro History Week, first marked in the United States in 1926 and in 1976 expanded into Black History Month. In 1995 the Canadian House of Commons officially designated February as Black History Month. The following year the Mathieu da Costa Awards Program (a national creative arts contest for school children) was established by the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the Secretary of State. This program stimulates knowledge about the contributions of people of diverse cultural heritage, including those of African and aboriginal descent, to the building of Canada.

Summary:

The works of art in this lesson plan, all made before 1960, reflect the National Gallery of Canada’s collecting mandate prior to 1988, which was predominantly Eurocentric, especially in the historical Canadian and European collections. In 1988 Parliament passed the Canadian Multiculturalism Act. The intent of the Act is to foster the development of a society based on inclusion and social cohesion, regardless of race, ethnic origin, or religion.

As a federal agency, the National Gallery of Canada responds directly to the Multiculturalism Act. The Gallery's mandate, legislated in the 1990 Museums Act, is to maintain and develop contemporary national and international collections of works of art, as well as historic collections.