Recap: An Artist Sees the Cotton Club at Harmony Hall

In honor of Black History Month, Dr. Chuck Stead, and special guest Kathy Tappenden, presented the lecture program "An Artist Sees the Cotton Club" on Sunday, March 1, to a full parlor of guests at Harmony Hall.

The program explored scenic artist Paul Tappenden’s work on The Cotton Club, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Tappenden and his fellow artists recreated plantation murals for the film, drawing inspiration from original Cotton Club paintings.

As guests arrived, music by Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway played in the entryway, setting the mood of the legendary Harlem nightclub.

Dr. Stead opened the presentation with a brief history of the Cotton Club’s role in the Harlem Renaissance and its impact on African American cultural life. The program then featured Paul Tappenden’s documented slides from the film set, showing the development of the scenic murals and rehearsal scenes with performers such as Gregory Hines. Four of Paul’s renderings of dance scenes from the movie were also displayed in the Harmony Hall parlor.

Kathy Tappenden, Paul’s widow, enriched the program with personal anecdotes. She identified the scenic artists—known as “scenics”—by name in the slides, describing them as a remarkable group of union craftsmen skilled in copying, recreating, matching colors, and mastering materials. Much of their work was completed in the “Big House” in Astoria, Queens, a massive studio space spanning several city blocks with soaring ceilings and expansive rooms designed for

constructing movie sets.

Kathy shared that Michael Zansky, a close friend of Paul’s and one of the few surviving scenics, recalled that many of the artists were World War II veterans. They often worked in toxic conditions without adequate safety precautions, which later led to lung and kidney illnesses. In addition to his scenic work, Paul also served as a grip on the film set—rarely sitting still, as Kathy fondly noted, always needing to keep busy.

Although Francis Ford Coppola and Gregory Hines reportedly disagreed about the film’s direction, Kathy observed that Coppola ultimately captured something authentic. The scenic artists devoted great care to studying black-and-white photographs from the 1920s and reimagining them in color for the set. Their work prompted thoughtful discussions about images reflecting the cultural transition from African traditions to Westernized influences.

Paul believed that despite emerging during the Jim Crow era, the Cotton Club provided a public platform for immensely talented African American performers whose artistry was deeply rooted in indigenous rhythms and Southern heritage. As he often said, “You might oppress people, but

you cannot oppress art.”