One of my all-time, very favorite artists is Alma Thomas. She was a public school art teacher for over 35 years. The artworks that she created were colorful, geometric, abstract paintings and collages. In 1966, she made her debut to the art world in an exhibit at Howard University, when she was the age of 75! She had her first solo show in 1972 at New York's Whitney Museum of American Art, becoming the first African American woman to achieve this accomplishment. One of my favorite paintings of hers, is pictured here in this post. “Resurrection,” was added to the permanent White House Collection during President Barack Obama's administration. Her story is quite inspirational to me personally, as I also taught public school art for over 30 years, and I also create collage artwork. However, I have yet to achieve my art debut to the world, but maybe someday, who knows? There are so many other wonderful, imaginative, and creative African American artists, like Amy Sherald, Horace Pippin, Romare Bearden, Clementine Hunter, and Jacob Lawrence--just to name a few. One way we can help celebrate Black History Month is to learn more about these artists, their artwork, and their stories--so click on the links provided to check them out. If you would like to learn more, here are some additional great resources: National Gallery of Art-African American Artists, My Modern Met, and also this post, "10 incredible Black women artists you need to know," by Ruth Millington. Enjoy!
Comments