Storytelling Through Art: Black Wall Street

Educator Resources are created by the Frye’s Education team to help teachers engage their students with our exhibitions and collections, but may also be enjoyed by others. This guide is written for educators working with students in grades 9-12 in the content areas of Visual Art, ELA, and History.

 

Download the Educator Resource Guide as a PDF

 

Storytelling Through Art: Noah Davis’s Black Wall Street

May 31, 2021 marks 100 years since the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma was once a thriving Black community, destroyed in less than 24 hours by white rioters. Like many events involving racially motivated violence, the massacre was deliberately covered up for many years. We will explore Black Wall Street by Noah Davis to uncover the history of this event and to learn about storytelling through art. This activity features a work of art from Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem, a special exhibition on view at the Frye Art Museum May 22–August 15, 2021.

Learn more about the events being organized by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

Take a moment to look closely at this artwork on your own. Here are questions for you to consider before leading conversations with students. 

• What is going on in this work? What do you see that makes you say that?

• There are a number of figures in this painting. What do you think they might be thinking or feeling? 

• How would you describe the mood that the artist has created in this artwork?

• What colors do you see in this painting? In what ways do they contribute to the mood of the artwork?

• Why do you think the artist chose to depict this moment?

• If you could add background music to this image, what might it sound like?

• How is this painting relevant to our present time?

   

ABOUT THE ARTIST 

Born in Seattle, Washington, Noah Davis (1983–2015) is known for his large-scale paintings depicting shadowy, isolated figures against richly colored fields with dripping textures and mixed media additions. After dropping out of New York’s Cooper Union school of art, Davis exhibited internationally. An avid student of art history, his sources of inspiration were wide-ranging, including family photographs, people in his life, pop culture, and obscure literary sources. 

In 2012, he and his wife, artist Karon Davis, founded The Underground Museum in Los Angeles. Located in the working-class neighborhood of Arlington Heights, The Underground Museum is an independent art space that is dedicated to ensuring access to contemporary art and ideas for all. 

 

COMPLEX CONVERSATIONS

Black Wall Street addresses a devastating moment in American history driven by racially motivated violence. Before you begin this lesson, here are suggestions on how to lead complex conversations. When discussing topics such as racially motivated violence, it is important to create a safe learning environment for students. One way to achieve that is to provide content warnings. Students who have been exposed to various traumas and violence may be uniquely negatively impacted by content that relates to these experiences. Referred to as “triggers,” this exposure can cause uncontrollable flashbacks, make the student feel as though they are physically reliving the experience, and may otherwise cause significant distress. As educators, we may not be able to guarantee a safe or harm-free classroom, but we can attempt to minimize the negative impacts that our classes can have on students.  

As part of the recovery process, many people develop tools for managing exposure to potentially triggering content. Such tools can only be activated when we give them advance notice about class content. Therefore, educators are advised to offer content warnings (also called trigger warnings) on trauma-related content (e.g., depictions of sexual assault, child abuse, physical assault, racially motivated violence, abuse, and suicide). 

Best Practices for Trigger Warnings 

• Signal potentially triggering images/readings/lectures/videos in your curriculum; this allows students to prepare ahead of time to engage with the material in a meaningful way.

• At the start of class, let students know what to expect (e.g., a film that shows ______); this will also help students prepare themselves. 

• Normalize self-care by encouraging students to step out when needed, to get water, or to take a break.

• Remind students of any support services that may be available.

   

Before leading conversations with your students, reflect on your own identity and be cognizant of how that identity shapes your personal perspective and biases. Prepare your students for these conversations with the following techniques (adapted from The Studio Museum in Harlem’s presentation at the 2017 National Arts Education Association Museum Education Division Pre-Conference).

• At the beginning of the discussion or visit, set group expectations of a respectful dialogue.

• Honor individual experiences and avoid stereotyping with “I” statements.

• When possible, begin with less controversial information and build to more complex topics.

• Encourage students to step up and step back—create space for those to speak who do not normally do so and encourage thoughtful listening.

• If a student says something concerning, try to ask for more information to find an underlying issue. Create an environment in which the group can unpack the statement, to take the spotlight off the student who voiced this and help others who may feel similarly to process.

• Allow time for quiet reflection and check in with students after difficult conversations.

 

ABOUT BLACK WALL STREET AND THE TULSA RACE MASSACRE

After World War I, much of the United States saw an increase in racial tensions. The city of Tulsa, Oklahoma was growing rapidly as part of an oil boom, but it was also highly segregated. By 1921, Greenwood was a thriving African American neighborhood in Tulsa. Greenwood included a business district and a residential area referred to as “Black Wall Street.” In June 1921, nearly all of Greenwood was destroyed as part of the Tulsa Race Massacre.

On May 30, 1921, a young Black man named Dick Rowland was riding in an elevator with a white woman named Sarah Page. Details of what happened vary from person to person, and rumors about the incident traveled quickly among Tulsa’s white community. Rowland was arrested the following day for assault. A front-page story in the Tulsa Tribune on May 31 contributed to a confrontation between the city’s Black and white communities outside the courthouse. Shots were fired and the outnumbered African Americans retreated to Greenwood. On June 1, Greenwood was looted and burned by white residents, destroying homes, businesses, schools, churches, and other community spaces. Ultimately, 35 city blocks were in ruins, more than 800 people were treated for injuries, over 8,000 people were left without homes, and historians believe as many as 300 people may have died.

For years following the Tulsa Race Massacre, news of what happened was covered up. As a result, this event was rarely mentioned in history books, taught in schools, or even discussed. In 2001, an official Race Riot Commission was formed to review what happened during the event. The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission was formed in 2016 to leverage the rich history surrounding the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by facilitating actions, activities, and events that commemorate and educate all citizens.

ACTIVITY

Through close-looking and open-ended discussion, students will spend time with Black Wall Street by Noah Davis from the exhibition Black Refractions: Highlights from The Studio Museum in Harlem. In particular, this is an opportunity to dive into the history of Black Wall Street and the events that led up to the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921. Together, we will identify how artwork discussion builds 21st century skills before exploring ways to use art as inspiration for storytelling. 

Download the educator resource guide for the full instructions for this activity.

Download the Elements of a Narrative Arc Worksheet.

Download The Story Spine Worksheet.

 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Noah Davis

Black Wall Street on The Studio Museum in Harlem’s website

The Underground Museum

Young Blood: Noah Davis, Kahlil Joseph, The Underground Museum Exhibition at the Frye Art Museum

 

Tulsa Race Massacre

1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission

Tulsa Historical Society and Museum

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection on the Smithsonian Learning Lab

Greenwood by Donald Byrd at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

 

Narrative Arc

Learn about Narrative Arcs with MasterClass

The Story Spine with Aerogramme Writers’ Studio

Jumpstart Your Story with the Story Spine on Curiographic

Visual Thinking Strategies

About Visual Thinking Strategies

How to Teach Visual Thinking Strategies

What’s Going On in This Picture? Activity with The New York Times

Example of Visual Thinking Strategies at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
 

STANDARDS

National Core Arts Standards

RESPONDING

Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work.

Anchor Standard 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.

CONNECTING

Anchor Standard 11: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historic context to deepen understanding.

Common Core State Standards: English Language Arts

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details and well-structured event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.1: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.2: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Washington Social Studies Learning Standards, Grades 9-12

H2: Understands and analyzes causal factors that have shaped major events in history.

H3: Understands that there are multiple perspectives and interpretations of historical events. 

H4: Understands how historical events inform analysis of contemporary issues and events. 

 

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Michelle Cheng
Director of Education & Community Partnerships