New York Post - Feb. 28, 2003
By Neil Graves

PROJECT FOR KIDS HAS ART AND SOUL

The names of black artists such as Jacob Lawrence, William H. Johnson and Faith Ringgold may not mean much to public-school students right now – but they will if Tonya Lewis Lee has anything to do with it.

Lawrence, Johnson and Ringgold are all giants of their genre, all their stories are featured in a book and resource kit, “Art by African-American Artists: Selections From the 20th Century” – which city schools can get free from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Multi-Cultural Development Initiative.

“This kit is such a great idea,” said initiative member Lewis Lee, a lawyer and the wife of filmmaker Spike Lee. “It’s all about getting art into the school system.” The resource kit, which is also available to suburban schools for free, has biographies of 20 artists and includes slides of their works. In addition, it includes a CD containing aural recollections from Lawrence on his formative years; Harlem Renaissance genius Langston Hughes, reading several of his poems; and comments from other prominent artists.

Donna Sutton, the Met’s audience-development specialist, said the initiative is important, “especially now since art and other programs are being taken from schools” because of budget cutbacks.

Besides providing resources about African-American artists for schools, the Met is also home to a major exhibition, “African-American Artist: 1929-1945,” which runs through May 4.