Defining the Black Aesthetic in African American Interior Decoration in the Home Environment Through Art

Abstract

This visual essay presents initial evidence for an on-going research study, which explores influences from American, African, and African Diaspora art that have shaped the development of African American domestic interior decoration and design. It examines the dominant stylistic traditions such as social practices, forms, colors, and beliefs to define the Black aesthetic in which African Americans create homemaking. Grounded Theory analyzes the role of memory, territoriality, displacement, and placemaking to create meaningful spaces—visual representation displayed in the form of photographic images of traditional and modern art obtained through historical archives that depict “African American” homemaking as a cultural repository.