The Bearden design features the ICONIC artist Romare Bearden: Born in 1911 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Romare Bearden moved with his family to New York City when he was three years old. After attending Lincoln University and Boston University, he graduated from New York University with a degree in Education. Bearden’s career as a painter was launched in 1940 with his first solo exhibition in Harlem. After a few years painting abstractions in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Bearden turned to photomontage and collage. In 1963, Bearden and others formed the Spiral group in order to promote the work of black artists and explore ways in which they could contribute to the ongoing civil rights movement. In a further expression of his lifelong commitment to the African-American art community, he, later helped establish the Cinque Gallery, dedicated to supporting and exhibiting the work of emerging black artists. Bearden was a founding member of the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Black Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1964, he was appointed the first art director of the Harlem Cultural Council and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1972. Bearden’s work reflects his improvisational approach to his practice. He considered his process akin to that of jazz and blues composers, starting with an open mind, he would let an idea evolve spontaneously. Bearden’s approach was intuitive, an ongoing dialogue between tradition and innovation. He died in New York City in 1988.