In the early 70s Bennington music faculty members Bill Dixon and Milford Graves guided Bennington students through the black aesthetic lens with music, words and deeds. Their compositions, teachings, and innovative approaches to creative music boldly addressed a multitude of issues inspired by the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements. This course reveals social, political and cultural content by artists at the forefront of innovation. Musicians Nina Simone, Sun Ra, John Coltrane; Poets Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Jayne Cortez and others contributed to the evolution and forward thinking of the Black American experience. Students will investigate how the movement instigated an awakening in the artistic community through research, documentary, images and performances.