Phonographies of Race: The Politics of Picturing Jazz

A Critical Conversations Event

Depicting racial difference in visual art and literature became a central point of debate in 1920s New York. How should others be portrayed, especially those groups who are being discriminated against, persecuted, and oppressed? Should art work as propaganda, showing only the best a people can become, only the educated, modern, and hard-working individuals? Or should art portray their vices, failures, troubles, and broken dreams? What are the stakes in choosing one or the other? Images depicting jazz were one of the main battlefields to tackle these questions during the Harlem Renaissance. What happens when we try to listen to these images? In this talk, I will explore and contrast visual depictions of jazz by Black, Mexican, and white American artists—as well as their critical reception—to unpack the politics of picturing the sonic color line through music.

This event is part of Critical Conversations: creating space for and educating one another about our multiple cultural contexts, activism, civil discourse, and academic engagement.