Romare Bearden (September 2, 1911 – March 12, 1988) was an African-American artist who worked with many types of media including cartoons, oils and collages. He began his artistic career creating scenes of the American South. Later, he worked to express the humanity he felt was lacking in the world after his experience in the army. Recognized as one of the most creative and original visual artists of the twentieth century, Bearden had a prolific and distinguished career (The New York Times described Bearden as “the nation’s foremost collagist” in his 1988 obituary.) [Wikipedia]

This is the second post in a series of picture study resources featuring black artists. I first became interested in Bearden because he co-authored both of the best books I own on African-American artists, and he famously said, “Black art has always existed. It just hasn’t been looked for in the right places.” As I studied more of his art, I became completely intrigued by his style and subjects. When our local art museum recently announced that 30 Bearden pieces will be exhibited at the end of this year, I was sold on preparing these study materials.

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Biography resources:

• Picture book – Romare Bearden: Collage of Memories. This book is used in the lesson plans. It has more narrative/print than the average picture book, and it’s full of images of his work.
• Brief bio sketch – Romare Bearden Biography (Informative but not engaging. Parent can read and share relevant info.)

Relevant videos & audio:*

• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art video – Trains, snakes, and guitars: The collages of Romare Bearden – In rare archival footage, Romare Bearden sheds light on his concepts and process, and how certain motifs in his art illuminate the African American experience.
  Don’t miss this treat!
• NPR radio segment – The Art of Romare Bearden – Collages Fuse Essence of Old Harlem, American South (More suited for parents and older children)
• PBS video – Romare Bearden, The Dove, 1964 – The video is about his collage, The Dove, but it includes footage of him working and speaking along with brief interviews with a family member and friend.
• Inside New York’s Art World: Romare Bearden, 1979 – I found it fascinating to listen to this interview.

Artist print resources:

• General audience: You may find it easiest to choose images from this Romare Bearden calendar because obtaining large, hi-res images of his work online is difficult. The calendar images are beautiful enough to support careful study. However, the calendar has been updated with different pictures so it no longer aligns with the General Lesson Plans listed below, but you can still use the calendar and do a little of your own research on the pictures.
• Atlanta-area residents: Later this year, the High Museum of Art will premiere “Something Over Something Else: Romare Bearden’s Profile Series,” the first exhibition to bring dozens of works from the eminent series together since its debut nearly 40 years ago. In anticipation of this unique opportunity, I prepared a file of prints from the series. Here is a download of the Romare Bearden prints I chose.** These are used in the “Alternate Atlanta Lesson Plans” below. Because of the image quality, I recommend using the calendar above if you’re not in the Atlanta area and planning to see the exhibit in person.

Picture study aids (info about his life & paintings):

• Romare Bearden Foundation: A Resource for Teachers – This is a long document. It has a ton of info, but it can be overwhelming. Feel free to just skip it if it will stress you out because you don’t need it.
• Info for each picture is linked below in the lesson plans (various sources) – This is intended for the adult to review prior to the lesson. Interesting info can be included in the picture talk.

Museum locator (Find where Bearden’s work is displayed and plan a trip to visit, if possible):

• Artcyclopedia: Paintings in Museums and Public Art Galleries (This site is good start, but do not rely solely on their list because I’ve found it to be incomplete. Be sure to check the museum websites near you or in cities you plan to visit or drive through.)

Bonus material:

• The Block by Langston Hughes and Romare Bearden – This book is such a treat! It combines Langston Hughes’ poems about Harlem with one of Bearden’s most famous collages, The Block.
• Li’l Dan, the Drummer Boy: A Civil War Story – The only children’s book ever written and illustrated by Bearden. Li’l Dan, a slave on a Southern plantation, loves to play his drum. When a company of Union soldiers announce that the slaves have been set free, Dan has no place to go, so he follows the soldiers, who make him their mascot. But Confederate soldiers attack, and Dan discovers that he is the only one who can save his friends. The used copy I purchased surprisingly came with a CD of Maya Angelou reading the book – really special!
• My Hands Sing the Blues: Romare Bearden’s Childhood Journey – Young children will enjoy this special story about a young Bearden observing the world through the train. Added to bonus material because it doesn’t provide enough biographical information to anchor the first weeks of the lesson plans.
• An American Odyssey: The Life and Work of Romare Bearden – First major biography on Bearden. Well-written and interesting. Also includes historical info on life for blacks during that time. Added to bonus material because it’s 464 pages long – too much to read for picture study but great bio for parent or high school student.

General Lesson Plans: These lesson plans were based on the pictures provided in a 2020 Romare Bearden calendar. The calendar has since been updated and they changed the pictures. So if you’d like to use these lesson plans, you’ll need to find the pictures online to print OR you can print the pictures I’ve provided and use the “Atlanta” lesson plans below.

• Week 1: Read bio – Collage of Memories p. 6-17
• Week 2: Read bio – Collage of Memories p. 18-31
• Week 3: Read bio – Collage of Memories p. 32-46
• Week 4: The Train (1974) [3rd & 4th paragraph]
• Week 5: The Lantern (1979) [First four paragraphs]
• Week 6: Sunday Morning Breakfast (1967) [Scroll down to 5th blue box]
• Week 7: Compare Bearden’s Sunday Morning Breakfast with Horace Pippin’s painting by the same name. Bearden’s picture was inspired by the Pippin painting. Info about Pippin’s Sunday Morning Breakfast can be found here. [Start at last paragraph on page 3] –OR- compare pictures from previous three weeks
• Week 8: In the Garden (1974)
• Week 9: The Lamp (1984) [Click on “view details”]
• Week 10: Old Couple (1973) [No info found]
• Week 11: Compare Bearden’s Old Couple with John Thomas Biggers’ painting by the same name -OR- Compare pictures from previous three weeks

Alternate “Atlanta” Lesson Plans***

• Week 1: Read bio – Collage of Memories p. 6-17
• Week 2: Read bio – Collage of Memories p. 18-31
• Week 3: Read bio – Collage of Memories p. 32-46
• Week 4: “School Bell Time” (1978): This collage recalls one of Bearden’s earliest memories. [Just a brief mention halfway through this article.]
• Week 5: “Pittsburgh Memories, Mill Hand’s Lunch Bucket” (1978): Based on Bearden’s memories of the interior of his grandmother’s boardinghouse in Pittsburgh. [page 5 on PDF, last paragraph]
• Week 6: “Pittsburgh Memories, Farewell Eugene” (1978): this work features a scene from the funeral of childhood friend who had introduced Bearden to drawing. [page 6 of PDF]
  
• Week 7: Compare pictures from previous three weeks (from Part I, The Twenties)
• Week 8: “Pepper Jelly Lady” (1981): in this work, Bearden returns to his memories of the South and Mecklenburg County. A figure in a dashingly patterned dress is framed by a wide border filled with drawings of Southern life: a plain wooden church, a mansion, a room with a potbellied stove.
• Week 9: “Artist with Painting & Model” (1981): from the High’s collection, this collage is one of Bearden’s only known self-portraits. [Read the first 10 photos – all of the signs until “Noah, Third Day” relate to this picture.]
• Week 10: “Hudgins Comes On” (1981): This work features the famous vaudeville performer. According to Bearden, Hudgins’ act inspired Bearden’s own approach to “making worlds” with his art: “He was my favorite of all the comedians. What Johnny Hudgins could do through mime on an empty stage helped show me how worlds were created on an empty canvas.”
• Week 11: Compare pictures from previous three weeks (from Part II, The Thirties)

Additional notes:

• *I like to immerse myself in the life and art of the artists whose pictures we study. These relevant resources aren’t part of the lesson plans, and I typically don’t even share them with my children. They are for me; they’re part of my self-education as I learn alongside them. I’m just sharing them in case you’d like to do the same, but please feel free to skip as they’re not needed for picture study.
• **I print my artist prints at Office Max on “Cardstock Gloss Cover 12pt.” This set was $9.80 regularly priced (My 20% coupon brought it to $8.31). These prints are not nearly as nice as the Riverbend or Simply Charlotte Mason picture study prints, but they are nice enough for what my family needs in this case. It is very difficult to find large hi-res images from Bearden’s Profile series online, and I especially wanted to study some of the pictures we’ll see in person later this year. I’m also purchasing the calendar and will use images from that as well.
• ***Details/commentaries on some of Bearden’s pieces are scarce. I’ve provided enough for the picture study, but I will update with more info when the exhibition catalog is published.

If you’ve found other helpful quality information for Bearden, please post it in the comments!