Juke Joint

Born in Atlanta, Hayes was a highly regarded social realist painter and sculptor active in the Harlem Renaissance. Although mostly self-taught, he studied with muralist Jean Charlot and took courses at the Art Students League in New York. He worked for the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project and created murals at the Harlem Hospital Center. "Juke Joint" depicts an everyday scene outside a rural establishment likely featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking.