SUMMARY

As the rainbow array outside Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art suggests, artist Derrick Adams is accentuating the positive. He celebrates contemporary Black life and culture, depicting leisure, freedom and the pursuit of happiness. Jared Bowen of GBH Boston recently sat down with Adams for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

View the transcript of the story.

NOTE: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?

News alternative: Check our recent segments from the News Hour, and choose the story you’re most interested in watching. You can make a Google doc copy of discussion questions that work for any of the stories here.

WARM-UP QUESTIONS

1. Who is Derrick Adams, and what is his background?
2. What purpose does Adams’ art serve, according to the artist?
3. How did Adams first start making art?
4. Where does Adams draw inspiration from?
5. Why does Adams use certain stylistic choices, such as using lots of color in his work?

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

1. Why is art such as Adams’s important in creating comfort and self-confidence among young Black Americans who struggle to find areas where they feel seen?
2. What do you think is unique about the way Adams seeks representation in the field of fine arts?

Media literacy: Analyze the visual media down below displaying various pieces of Adams’ work. Then, discuss with a partner on what you see and what you believe makes his work unique. Additionally, ask yourself how these art pieces reflect Adams’ goal of highlighting the joy of the Black American experience.

WHAT STUDENTS CAN DO

Students can learn more about Black art in the U.S. through the National Gallery of Arts article on 16 black artists to know. Select one artist that you found interesting and answer the following questions:

1. What stood out to you about this artist? Was it their motives for being an artist or their art itself?
2. Does this art have a similarity to that of Adams?
3. How does art help free the mind and soul from the oppression that exists against people of color?

Written by PBS News Hour Classrooms Intern Justin Vasquez and Vic Pasquantonio.

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