Untold Narratives and Reimagined Histories: The Work of Dawoud Bey and Titus Kaphar

Abstract

This article provides high school art room activities that address the past, contemplate the present, and encourage teaching for change. The authors introduce two contemporary artists, Dawoud Bey and Titus Kaphar, whose work embraces the idea of untold narratives and juxtapose their artwork to instigate difficult but necessary conversations about America’s racial past and present. Bey’s photographic narratives and Kaphar’s innovative paintings unveil truths and histories of Black American culture that have long been neglected. Each juxtaposition is accompanied by background information, discussion questions, and ideas designed to engage students in critical dialogue about race and racism. These conversations are followed by creative writing, and artmaking processes encouraging students to learn from our histories to reimagine our present.