The Watts Renaissance

The Watts Renaissance started an expressive and powerful movement. Beginning in the 1960s and ending in the early 1970s, the Watts Renaissance was an era that demonstrated peace in Watts. This specific time period completely changed other peoples’ outside perspectives of the neighborhood, destroying any harmful stereotypes made after 1965. Creative artifacts were made and a summer festival was held during the Watts Renaissance. Artists like Noah Purifoy, John Outterbridge, and David Hammons created many art pieces that were labeled as “junk art”. Towers, altars, and images of mythic heroes were made entirely from junk and debris collected from previous riots, which many critics further labeled as “the first home-grown California modern art.” The first ever Watts Summer Festival took place on August 14th, 1962 with many exhibits displaying dancing, jazz performances, and more. The Watts Summer Festival even held a beauty pageant to advocate for “Black is Beautiful.”  The Watts Renaissance was an artistic period of time that will forever be remembered in Black history.