Harriet Powers, known as the “mother of African-American quilting”, was born into slavery in Athens, Georgia in 1837. Because there is no record of her childhood, it is assumed she grew up as a house slave, trained to be a seamstress and instructed in the craft of appliqué quilt-making. Powers’ acclaimed cotton quilts are comprised [...]
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Celebrating Black History in Art: James VanDerZee (1886-1983)
James VanDerZee was an acclaimed, largely self-taught, African American photographer who documented the lives of the urban middle class. Born June 29, 1886 in Lenox, Massachusetts, VanDerZee was raised to appreciate music and art; eventually forming a talent for photography. By fifth grade, VanDerZee was given his first camera. He took hundreds of pictures of [...]
Celebrating Black History in Art: Edmonia Lewis (1845-1911)
Edmonia Lewis was the first African American and American Indian female sculptor to achieve national recognition from the mainstream art world during an era when minorities and women faced strong prejudices. Lewis’ birthplace is unknown. Her father was a free black man from the West Indies and her mother was a Chippewa Indian. Lewis celebrated [...]
Celebrating Black History in Art: Joshua Johnson
Joshua Johnson (c. 1765-1830) is the earliest documented African American professional painter. Little is known about Johnson’s early life, but that he was born in Baltimore, Maryland, a slave, and later freed in 1796 at the age 19. Johnson remained in Baltimore where he painted portraits of prosperous, white American mercantilists and their family. His [...]
Artist Interview: Stanley Rayfield
Clarke Art Consulting was delighted to interview emerging artist Stanley Rayfield. Rayfield has launched a great start to his art career with his painting titled, “Dad”, which won second place in competition at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. Rayfield is a recent graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Arts, and currently works on [...]
