Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance emerged as the first concerted African-American art movement, which flourished in the Harlem district of New York in the 1920s. Between the two world wars, Harlem developed into a creative centre for literature, music and the visual arts. The Harlem Renaissance did not develop as a uniform style, but was as diverse as the cultural influences that the different artists brought with them. The movement brought forth new means of expression for African American culture and was characterised by the credo that art and poetry could change society.