Black Artists' Group Trailer

With the emergence of the national Black Arts Movement in the late 1960's, St. Louis saw the birth of The Black Artists' Group (BAG). In the late 1960's and early 1970's, BAG formed as an arts collective with the goals of raising black consciousness, battling social injustice, and exploring the far reaches of experimental performance. Throughout the nation, several African American artists' collectives were forming, however, BAG was unique with its blending of jazz, poetry, drama, dance, and the visual arts. Through the arts, they addressed many of the social injustices of the time and brought awareness to many of the struggles faced by inner city residents. Members of BAG eventually left St. Louis to perform throughout Europe but later returned to the United States, where they helped to found the New York Loft Jazz scene. Despite the importance of BAG in St. Louis, the Black Arts Movement, and the world of jazz, no documentary of the organization has been made. This documentary will fill in this valuable history via interviews with members of the collective and rare archival footage.