AfriCOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists) was founded on the South Side of Chicago in 1968 by a collective of young Black artists, whose interest in Transnational Black Aesthetics led them to create one of the most distinctive visual voices in 20th-century American art. The key characteristics of what we now consider the classic AFRICOBRA look -- vibrant, 'cool-ade' colors, bold text, shine and positive images of Black people -- were essential to everyday life in the community from which this movement emerged. It is a movement with roots in the soil, streets, classrooms, studios and living rooms of the South Side of Chicago, yet its influence has extended around the world.