The “New Negro” aesthetics of the Harlem Renaissance were often in defiance to earlier generational calls for “art as propaganda” which W. E. B. Du Bois had made in his essay, “Criteria of Negro Art.” The courageous artists of this era, including Aaron Douglas and William E. Artis, wished to collaboratively create a new and modern art era, which they did.

Peggy Jones is an award-winning playwright/visual artist and theatre professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She is the author of six essays in Painting from the Collection of the Sheldon Museum of Art. Artists about whom she wrote include Aaron Douglas, Loïs Mailou Jones and Charles Alston. She received a Nebraska Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship for her play, The Journey, about the father of modern Black American art, Aaron Douglas.

Sponsored by The Terra Foundation for American Art, established in 1978 and with offices in Chicago and Paris, the foundation supports organizations and individuals locally and globally through its grant program, collection, and initiatives. Its aim is to foster intercultural dialogues and encourage transformative practices that expand narratives of American art.

MONA Book Club

Gary E. Zaruba Library
For avid readers whose interests lie in authors from Nebraska, or reading about Nebraska or art are welcome and may join at any time.

August 5 | 10:30-11:30 AM – Confluence: John Gottschalk’s Life of Duty, Service, and the Business of News by George Ayoub
September 2 | 10:30-11:30 AM – The Gift of Asher Lev by Chaim Potok