Emory Douglas (born May 24, 1943) is an American graphic artist. He was a member of theBlack Panther Party from 1967 until the Party disbanded in the 1980s.[1] As a revolutionary artist and theMinister of Culture for theBlack Panther Party (BPP), Douglas created iconography to represent black-American oppression.[2]
Douglas was born inGrand Rapids, Michigan, and, when he was eight years old, moved toSan Francisco, California.[2] At the age of 13, he was sentenced to 15 months at the Youth Training School inOntario, California, where he worked in the juvenile correctional facility's printing shop and learned the basics of commercial printing.[2]
In 1960, Douglas studied graphic design at theCity College of San Francisco.[2] He joined the college's Black Students’ Association and worked closely withAmiri Baraka, a voice in the black arts movement, to design theater sets.[2]
“I (Douglas) was drawn to it (the Black Panther Party) because of its dedication to self-defense. The Civil Rights Movement headed by Dr. King turned me off at that time, for in those days non-violent protest had no appeal to me. And although the rebellions inWatts,Detroit, andNewark were not well organized they did appeal to my nature. I could identify with them.” —Emory Douglas[4]
When discussing newspaperThe Black Panther, formerly known asBlack Panther Community News Service, Douglas mentioned to the BPP co-founders that he could help improve the look of the paper.[2]
Emory Douglas at Typo San Francisco 2014 presenting his Black Panther newspaper graphic
Douglas became the "Revolutionary Artist" and "Minister of Culture" for the BPP in 1967.[2] He redesignedThe Black Panther and switched it toweb press, which allowed for colored printing and graphics.[2] Here, Douglas developed iconic images that branded the BPP: the depiction of policemen as bloodied or hanged pigs, as protest against police brutality of African Americans,[5] and imagery in line with the Party's 10-Point program. Douglas illustrated BPP's social services and decent housing.[5] In addition, Douglas aligned the BPP with "Third World liberation struggles" and anti-capitalist movements in the edition of January 3, 1970,[6] which shows an impaled pig dressed in an American flag with guns pointed at it, saying things such as "Get out of the ghetto" and "Get out of Africa".Todd Gitlin criticized Douglas for using what Gitlin saw as antisemitic symbols in the caricatures he published inThe Black Panther.[7]
In 1970, Douglas took part in the co-founding of a musical band calledThe Lumpen, which he was credited with naming. Emory chose the name "The Lumpen" after the Marxist idea of thelumpenproletariat.[8] However, it is also believed that the name was inspired byThe Wretched of the Earth by Marxist authorFrantz Fanon.[9]
In 1970, the BPP shifted their stance to emphasize survival programs as opposed to violence.[5] With that, Douglas's imagery changed as well, showing African Americans receiving free food and clothes. They promoted free breakfast programs, free health clinics, free legal aid, amongst other things. These programs were considered part of their revolutionary tactic. In response, the FBI cracked down on the cause even more, until it inevitably brought it to an end in 1982.[10] However, their ideology is still alive today.[2]
In 2007, theSan Francisco Chronicle reporter Jessica Werner Zack wrote that "he branded themilitant-chic Panther image decades before the concept became commonplace. He used the newspaper's popularity (circulation neared 400,000 at its peak in 1970) to incite the disenfranchised to action, portraying the poor with genuine empathy, not as victims but as outraged, unapologetic and ready for a fight."[11]
In addition to the paper, Douglas designed postcards, event flyers, and posters that were meant as recruitment tactics as well as a method of spreading the BPP ideology and creating the impression that there was mass support of the cause.[12] Douglas recalled: "After a while it flashed on me that you have to draw in a way that even a child can understand to reach your broadest audience without losing the substance or insight of what is represented." (Stewart, 2011).[13]
Douglas drew a lot of inspiration from Third World struggles and used art as the primary method of propaganda and outreach. His graphics served to promote the Party's ideologies, which were inspired by the rhetoric of revolutionary figures such asMalcolm X andChe Guevara. His images were often very graphic, meant to promote and empower black resistance with the hope of starting a revolution to end institutionalized mistreatment of African Americans.
Douglas worked at the black community-orientedSan Francisco Sun-Reporter[14] newspaper for more than 30 years afterThe Black Panther newspaper was no longer published.[15] He continued to create activist artwork, and his artwork stayed relevant, according to Greg Morozumi, artistic director ofEastSide Arts Alliance inOakland, California:[16] "Rather than reinforcing the cultural dead end of 'post-modern' nostalgia, the inspiration of his art raises the possibility of rebellion and the creation of new revolutionary culture."[17]
After the monograph's publication, Douglas had retrospective exhibitions at theMuseum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (2007–08) and theNew Museum in New York. Since the re-introduction of his early work to new audiences, he continues to make new work, exhibit and interact with audiences in formal and informal settings all over the world. His international exhibitions and visits includeUrbis,Manchester (2008);[19]Auckland,[20] a collaboration withRichard Bell inBrisbane (2011);Chiapas; andLisbon (2011).[21]
Douglas was the most prolific and persistent graphic agitator in the American Black Power movements. Douglas profoundly understood the power of images in communicating ideas ... Inexpensive printing technologies—including photostats and press-type, textures and patterns—made publishing a two-color heavily illustrated, weekly tabloid newspaper possible. Graphics production values associated with seductive advertising and waste in a decadent society became weapons of the revolution. Technically, Douglas collaged and re-collaged drawings and photographs, performing graphics tricks with little budget and even less time. His distinctive illustration style featured thick black outlines (easier to trap) and resourceful tint and texture combinations. Conceptually, Douglas's images served two purposes: first, illustrating conditions that made revolution seem necessary; and second, constructing a visual mythology of power for people who felt powerless and victimized. Most popular media represents middle to upper-class people as "normal." Douglas was the Norman Rockwell of the ghetto, concentrating on the poor and oppressed. Departing from the WPA/social realist style of portraying poor people, which can be perceived as voyeuristic and patronizing, Douglas's energetic drawings showed respect and affection. He maintained poor people's dignity while graphically illustrating harsh situations.
Douglas is now retired but does freelance design work discussing topics such asBlack on Black Crime and the prison industrial complex. His more current works features children. He feels he must continue to educate through his work.[23][24]
EDELO (En Donde Era La Onu): AtChiapas, Mexico, a collection of embroideries called EDELO, in English:Where theUnited Nations Used to Be, was a collaboration with Douglas, theWoman’s Zapatista Embroidery Collective, andCaleb Duarte.[25]
2011–14,Peace heals, war kills (Bis ass mutha fuckin mural): With Australian Indigenous artistRichard Bell.[26]
2018,Black Lives Matter Global Network withFrieze NY for an art fair that showcasedWe Shall Survive Without A Doubt, a work of Douglas that can be seen on the back cover ofThe Black Panther, Issue #30.[28]
2020,Da 5 Bloods : With the award-winning filmmakerSpike Lee, Douglas adapted hisanti-Viet-Nam war graphic that was inThe Black Panther newspaper for Lee's filmDa 5 Bloods.[29]
Green Left Weekly; October 14, 2009, Issue 813, p. 4. "Black Panther artist launches exhibition." The article reviews the exhibitionAll Power to the People, by Emory Douglas at the Milani Gallery in Brisbane, Queensland. Paul Benedek.
Bomb; Fall 2009, Issue 109, p. 12.Emory Douglas: Black Panther exhibition New Museum, New York City. David Kramer.
Art Newspaper; July/August 2009, Vol. 18, Issue 204, p. 58.Emory Douglas: Black Panther exhibition New Museum, New York City. Helen Stoilas.
Museums Journal (2009), Issue 109/3, 44–47. March.Black Panther: Emory Douglas and the Art of Revolution, Urbis, Manchester.
Art in America; June/July 2008, Vol. 96, Issue 6, p. 106. "The Revolution Will Be Visualized." The article reviews the exhibitionBlack Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas, featuring the work of artist Emory Douglas at the Museum of Contemporary Art's (L.A. MOCA) Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, California, from October 21, 2007, to February 24, 2008. Sarah Valdez.
Revue de Recherche en civilization américaine. 2 | 2010. Sabrina Sérac,"2: 2010: La culture Populaire américaine" (review ofBlack Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas), June 30, 2010, accessed March 28, 2014.
Creative Review; May 2007, Vol. 27, Issue 5, p. 21. " Art and The Man." Carrie Meyer review ofBlack Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas.
Library Journal; April 1, 2007, Vol. 132, Issue 6, p. 87. Edward K. Owusu-Ansah review ofBlack Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas.
New Statesman; July 23, 2007, Vol. 136, Issue 4854, p. 59. In this article, the author discusses three books which constitute, in his opinion, significant examples ofoutsider art. The books in question areMingering Mike: The Amazing Career of an Imaginary Soul Superstar, by Dori Hadar,Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas and "Gravity's Rainbow Illustrated," by Zak Smith.
[1]Emory Douglas Public Critique (Part I) and[2]Emory Douglas Public Critique (Part II)
In 2017, theRhode Island School of Design'sGlobal Initiative (GI) invited Emory Douglas to critique selected student pieces to collectively engage with identity based artwork.[39][40]
Baltrip-Balagás, Ayana //Print Magazine; March/April 2006, Vol. 60, Issue 2, p. 84. "The Art of Self-Defense."
Berger, Maurice.For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010. 176.
Bloom, Joshua, and Waldo E. Martin.Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party. Berkeley, CA: University of California, 2013.
Doss, Erika. "Revolutionary Art Is a Tool for Liberation."Liberation, Imagination, and the Black Panther Party: A New Look at the Panthers and Their Legacy. Kathleen Cleaver and George N. Katsiaficas (eds). New York: Routledge, 2001. 183.
Douglas, Emory, Danny Glover, Bobby Seale, Sam Durant, Sonia Sanchez, Kathleen Cleaver, Colette Gaiter, Greg Jung Morozumi, Amiri Baraka, and St Clair Bourne.Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas. New York, NY: Rizzoli, 2014.
Foner, Philip S.The Black Panthers Speak. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo, 1995.
Gaiter, Colette. "The Revolution Will Be Visualized".Elissa Auther and Adam Lerner (eds),West of Center: Art and the Counterculture Experiment in America, 1965–1977, Minneapolis, Minn.: University of Minnesota, 2012. 240–253.
Jones, Charles E.The Black Panther Party (reconsidered). Baltimore: Black Classic, 1998.
Pearson, Hugh.The Shadow of the Panther: Huey Newton and the Price of Black Power in America. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Pub., 1994.
Rhodes, Jane.Framing the Black Panthers: The Spectacular Rise of a Black Power Icon. New York: New York, 2007.
Roberts, Shaun. "Studio Visit with Emory Douglas." Studio Visit with Emory Douglas.Juxtapoz Magazine, February 22, 2011.
^abcdefghijLampert, Nicolas, 1969- (5 November 2013).A people's art history of the United States : 250 years of activist art and artists working in social justice movements. New York, NY.ISBN978-1-59558-931-6.OCLC863821651.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Lampert, Nicolas (2013).A People's Art History of the United States : 250 Years of Activist Art and Artists Working in Social Justice Movements. The New Press. pp. 199–210.ISBN9781595589316.
^Stewart, Sean. (2011).On the ground : an illustrated anecdotal history of the sixties underground press in the U.S. Oakland, CA: PM Press.ISBN9781604866582.OCLC785618881.
^Austin, Curtis J. (2006).Up Against the Wall: Violence in the Making and Unmaking of the Black Panther Party. Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas Press. p. 414.
