As powerful narrative, the work of Harlem Renaissance artist Jacob Lawrence speaks directly to the African-American experience. As powerful art, it speaks in equally direct tones to the human experience.

In one of the most visually exhilarating exhibits to arrive at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in some time, "The Prints of Jacob Lawrence, 1963-2000," chronicles most of the etchings, woodcuts, silk screens and lithographs by this important 20th century artist -- 81 pieces that pop out of the frame with a colorful, optimistic energy as they capture the history, progress and pride of black America.

Jacob Lawrence, “The Capture” (1987; full title “Toussaint captured Marmelade, held by Vernet, a mulatto, 1795”), from “The Life of Toussaint L’Ouverture” series; silk screen.

Jacob Lawrence, “Play” (1999); silk screen

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"We try every year to have at least one major exhibition (that is) African-American or African based," says chief curator Marina Pacini. "This is one we got really excited about the moment it presented itself."

On loan from the Jacob Lawrence estate courtesy of New York's DC Moore Gallery, the exhibit runs through Sept. 6 and features a documentary film on his life called "The Glory of Expression."

Brooks public relations manager Elisabeth Callihan says that the quality and historical authority of the Lawrence exhibit coupled with the rich cultural legacy of the Harlem Renaissance has made for a fun series of ancillary events. These include a "Jazz & Jacob" series on the Harlem Renaissance every Thursday (see brooksmuseum.org/events for details), and a "Bright and Bold Family Day" scheduled for July 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

That Lawrence's art would appeal to a large audience is not surprising. He was a modernist with a populist heart, one whose political ideology meant art should -- and could -- belong to everyone.

"He's a storyteller with a social conscience," notes Pacini. "He is trying to effect change."

New Jersey-born Lawrence (1917-2000) came as a teenager to Harlem where neighborhood architecture informed his trademark use of flat primary colors and bold geometric shapes in a style he dubbed "dynamic cubism." By his 20s, he had made a name for himself, appearing in high-profile exhibits at, among others, the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art (where a major retrospective was held in 1974).

Beginning in the 1960s, he became fascinated by both the artistic potential of limited edition prints and its social potential as a communicative tool. Here was a medium to "reach new audiences," writes Peter T. Nesbett in the companion catalog, "Jacob Lawrence: The Complete Prints (1963-2000)." "The artist's involvement with popular media opened avenues of communication that would not have been possible through painting alone."

Almost all of Lawrence's prints are based on pre-existing paintings, but he didn't merely copy past work. He would alter, edit and add, sometimes in remarkable ways such as the splashes of radicalized red that distinguish panels in the silk screen version of his famous series, "The Life of Toussaint L'Overture," from the original 1938 tempuras on the Haitian revolutionary figure.

The print medium also enhances the inherent formal and chromatic qualities of Lawrence's style; in the process, it resonates with our post-modern sensibilities in ways that the original paintings perhaps can not. For example, ribbons of ochre and red slice through "Revolt on the Amistad," turning the chaos of mutiny into a dance of freedom, while "Play" taps into childlike joy by suggesting at once Henri Matisse and African-American vernacular artists Bill Traylor.

Among the many highlights are: "Eight Studies for the Book of Genesis," in which a Baptist preacher renders the Word into form not unlike how Lawrence took command over the creative act; and the stunning 22-print masterpiece, "The Legend of John Brown," which is framed by Christ on the cross and a Christ-like John Brown dangling from a noose, freed of earth and earthly judgment. It is one of the artist's greatest achievements, both in its original 1941 gouache depiction and the silk screen edition he produced 36 years later.

Lawrence is a major American artist, as consequential as his contemporary Romare Bearden, and this collection should not be overlooked because it is in a print format. Lawrence used the medium in a masterly way, and these works stir the mind and heart as a result.

"The Prints of Jacob Lawrence, 1963 2000"

On display at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, 1934 Poplar Ave. in Overton Park, through Sept. 6. For more information, call 544-6200 or go to brooksmuseum.org.