WS Chronicle

At the height of the civil rights movement, during an era when segregation and unjust laws prevailed across the United States, Kwame Brathwaite, who was inspired by the writings of Marcus Garvey, used photography to effect social change in the late ‘50s and ‘60s. He also popularized the term “Black is Beautiful,” which is still popular today. 

Thanks to the staff at the Reynolda House and support from other organizations, locals will have an opportunity to learn more about Brathwaite and explore some of his work. Black is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite, an exhibit  that focuses on Brathwaite’s work during the second Harlem Renaissance, is on view at the Reynolda House Museum of American Art until May 8. 

In 1956, Brathwaite and his brother Elombe, founded the African Jazz Art Society and Studios (AJASS), a collective of artists, playwrights, designers, and dancers, that produced concerts and art shows at different venues, which gave Brathwaite the opportunity to sharpen his skills as a photographer. 

A few years later, the brothers started the Grandassa Models, a modeling agency that centered on natural Black beauty and challenged white beauty standards. The Grandassa Models were featured in various fashion shows and other events held in Harlem that were created to develop racial pride and promote African American culture, poetry, and art.

By the 1970s, Brathwaite was known throughout the country for his work. His shots helped shape the image of major celebrities like Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, James Brown, Muhammad Ali, The Jackson 5, and countless others. Brathwaite also wrote about and photographed several landmark events.

Today, Brathwaite, 83, lives in New York. He is married to Sikolo Brathwaite, a former Grandassa model. She continues to advocate for the empowerment of Black women and their son, Kwame S. Brathwaite, is the director of the Kwame Brathwaite Archive. 

The exhibit, which was organized by the Aperture Foundation, includes more than 40 iconic photographs of Black men and women with natural hair and clothes that reclaimed their African roots. The old saying goes “a picture is worth a thousand words” and with messages in his work like “Buy Black” and “Black is Beautiful,” it’s clear that Brathwaite’s words are still relevant more than 60 years later.

In addition to Brathwaite’s photographs, the exhibition also includes garments worn during fashion shows as well as a selection of ephemeral materials.

While leading me on an impromptu tour of the exhibit, Allison Slaby, curator at Reynolda House Museum of American Art, said when she first saw the prospectus of the Brathwaite exhibit, she knew it was something she wanted to bring to Winston-Salem. Slaby described Brathwaite as someone who is a master of his camera and “technically brilliant.”

“We had worked with Aperture before, so when they were working on the Brathwaite show they sent us the prospectus and we thought it would be a great fit for us,” Slaby said. “I think it was just the strength of the work … when you see images like this, you know it’s something you want to have in your museum.” 

After showing me some of his favorites, Owens Daniels, a local visual artist and photographer, said it’s liberating to see Brathwaite’s work. Daniels said, “For the first few moments you just stand there because you don’t know where to start. 

“When you look at this and you’re a Black photographer and you came up in this period of time … and you understand Black Nationalism, Garveyism, and the culture, it’s liberating,” 

For more information on the exhibit visit https://reynolda.org/museum/exhibitions/black-is-beautiful-the-photography-of-kwame-brathwaite/.