Against the Odds: the Artists Of the Harlem Renaissance

Although the Harlem Renaissance--which flourished during the 1920's and `30s--has been the subject of numerous scholarly and even commercial works (Coppola's The Cotton Club springs to mind), the focus has been on the musical and literary aspects of the movement: the music of Duke Ellington, or the poetry of Langston Hughes, for example. While these aspects surely achieved a high profile (which, incidentally, is beautifully captured in Toni Morrison's most recent novel Jazz), there were other, lesser-known artistic achievements happening at the same time. Against the Odds: The Artists of the Harlem Renaissance chronicles the story of the William E. Harmon Foundation, a philanthropic--though some would also argue patronizing--organization that supported black artists. At a time when these artists had no voice in the mainstream art world, the gallery showings and prizes from the Harmon Foundation helped to nurture the talents of artists like James Lessene Wells, Laura Wheeling Waring, William Henry Johnson, and Lois Mailou Jones, among others. Narrated by actor Joe Morton, the program interviews surviving artists, as well as scholars and museum officials, who offer anecdotes from the period, insights into the race problems during that era, and a handsome sampling of the art that remains from the period. a little too narrow to be of general interest perhaps, Against the Odds is still a good film which will appeal to both the historically-inclined and those interested in the fine arts. Recommended. (R. Pitman)