Scholars, writers and artists who were active in the Harlem Renaissance looked toward the future, said Krystal Appiah, one of the exhibition’s curators.
“There are a lot of existential questions about what it meant to be Black in America,” Appiah said. “Where do Black people fit in, what type of world do they want to imagine for themselves? Is it more separatist? Are they going to try to integrate with white American society?”
Those involved in the movement each had a different vision of an ideal world, though certain conventions united them stylistically.