Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas
OCT 21, 2007–FEB 24, 2008
MOCA Pacific Design Center

Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas traces the graphic art made by Emory Douglas while he worked as minister of culture for the Black Panther Party from 1967 until its discontinuation in the early 1980s. Douglas's powerful visuals helped define the trademark visual style of the group's newspapers, posters, and pamphlets. Douglas's substantial body of work exists as a powerful graphic record of the Black Panthers' legacy, reflecting their development and evolving mission to improve the lives of African Americans by calling for resistance and change, as well providing social services to their communities. With a firm understanding of the need to disseminate information and communicate the party's agenda visually, Douglas's bold illustrations and striking images spoke forcefully to a community ravaged by poverty, police brutality, and poor living conditions. With unmistakable humanism, Douglas portrayed a populace that was emerging from segregation and proudly fighting to assert their rights to equality. Organized by MOCA Ahmanson Curatorial Fellow Sam Durant, the exhibition includes approximately 150 of Douglas's most influential works, which serve as a testament to the efficacy of visual art to communicate a political position.

Download the Gallery Guide

Events

FREE the San Francisco Eight!
Black Panthers: From the 1960s to the Present
Thursday, February 14, 6:30pm
MOCA Pacific Design Center

In conjunction with Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas, the Center for the Study of Political Graphics will host a guided tour of the exhibition and a panel discussion. Speakers will include Ray Boudreaux and Hank Jones of the SF8, representatives from the National Lawyers Guild, Los Angeles and the Center for the Study of Political Graphics, and Mary Kimbrough.
INFO politicalgraphics.org
FREE

Art Talk with Steven Nelson
THURSDAY, DEC 13, 6:30pm
MOCA Pacific Design Center

UCLA Associate Professor of African and African-American Art History Steven Nelson will discuss Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas.
INFO 213/621-1745 or education@moca.org
FREE

Political Poster-making Workshop
SUNDAY, FEB 3, 10am–4pm
MOCA Pacific Design Center

In conjunction with Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas, MOCA offers a hands-on workshop examining the art of political posters. After an exhibition tour and demonstration, participants will have the opportunity to create their own posters, giving visual shape to political messages through a variety of graphic techniques, such as silk screen and collage.
Instructors: Britt and Amanda Brown, cofounders of not not fun records
Advance registration required; no refunds
RSVP 213/621-1745 or education@moca.org
$50 MOCA members; $65 nonmembers

THREE-DAY FILM SERIES
All Power to The People: The History and Legacy of the Black Panther Party
THURSDAY, JAN 10–SATURDAY, JAN 12
FOR SCHEDULE GO TO redcat.org
REDCAT (ROY AND EDNA DISNEY/CALARTS THEATER)

This program of screenings tracks the history and legacy of the Black Panther Party, its revolutionary politics, grassroots ideology, irrepressible leaders, and the struggle for justice that continues today. Opening with 1960s newsreels focusing on Huey P. Newton, Eldridge Cleaver, and the party’s Ten-Point Program, the series continues with powerful documentaries chronicling state violence against party members, and concludes with recent and new works that examine the void left in the wake of the Black Panther Party through the lens of the 1992 Los Angeles uprising. Each screening is followed by an in-depth discussion.

INFO 213/237-2800 or redcat.org
TICKETS $9 general; $7 MOCA members and students; $4 CalArts

Listen: Art Talk with Emory Douglas
Emory Douglas discusses the graphic art he created for the Black Panther Party during the late 1960s through the early ‘80s. Recorded October 21, 2007 at MOCA Pacific Design Center.