The Black Arts Council (BAC) was an organization founded in 1968 to advocate for African-American artists and support their community.
[1] Founded by Cecil Fergerson and Claude Booker (black art preparators who worked at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, or LACMA), the organization comprised African-American artists, staff members, and other city residents who aimed to promote African-American art in Los Angeles.
When the Black Arts Council was founded in 1968, every LACMA board member was white.
[4] The BAC organized student field trips to art exhibits, gave lectures at schools, and curated art exhibitions at various community locations and events.
[4] The BAC's advocacy produced results in the form of two LACMA exhibitions: Three Graphic Artists: Charles White, David Hammons, and Timothy Washington in 1971,[1] and Panorama in 1972, featuring Noah Purifoy, John Outterbridge, and Betye Saar.