Emory Douglas
The graphic designer Emory Douglas, creator of images for the US Black Panther movement, was our guest from 12 to 16 December 2011. During his visit, he and colleagues discussed design as a tool for shaping political messages on the one hand and a political act in itself on the other. Douglas gave a talk about his work at W139 in Amsterdam. He also met designers, visited cultural insitutions, and took part in events around the Prince Claus Award ceremony.
Douglas, the Black Panther Party's revolutionary artist and Minister of Culture, created the overall design of its weekly newspaper, The Black Panther, and oversaw its layout and production. His powerful visual language made an important contribution to the party's efforts to emancipate the black community in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s.
Douglas's artworks featured in the paper and were distributed as prints, posters, cards and even sculptures. His distinctive straightforward graphic style and visual language became synonymous with the party and its cause. Thick black lines, collage techniques, and striking colour and texture characterise his work. The New Museum in New York staged an overview of his art in 2009.
