Born in Columbus, Georgia in 1891, Alma Thomas dreamed of becoming an Architect, which as a woman was very unheard of. Her family moved to Atlanta following radical racial violence and rioting in 1906, which led to Thomas attending Howards University, and becoming their first fine arts graduate in 1924.
Whilst her artwork started off as focused in realism, her mentors pushed her to experiment more in abstract artwork, leading to her more known and vibrant pieces which was her signature style, and was often compared to Byzantine Mosaics.
Her artwork gained so much notoriety that she became the first black woman to have work acquired in the White House, establishing her as an icon and inspiration to black, female, and older artists alike.
Bottom Image: Alma Thomas alongside works (Collage) Momaa
Emory Douglas
Emory Douglas was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1943 and moved to San Francisco in 1951, which to this day has been known as the epicentre of radical counterculture post WW2. Emory’s work stems heavily from the segregation and injustices that he observed in the area around him. This grew into his involvment of the Black Arts Movement and further black liberation.
He met the founders of the Black Panther Party (BPP) where he became involved and quickly rose through the ranks to become known as its Revolutionary Artist, and eventually Minister of Culture.
To this day, Douglas’ art continues to pursue his political and activist views spreading his works across the world and fuelling the inspiration for cultural strength through art and exhibitions.
Image Sources: Top Image: Emory Douglas taken by Jos Wheeler, Auckland, New Zealand
Bottom Image: Emory Douglas. The Black Panthers: All Power to the People. 1969
Lonnie Johnson
Lonnie Johnson was born in Alabama in 1949, and quickly grew fond of science and the way things worked. Taking apart toys and building robots, Lonnie rose through his studies to become a part of NASA following his degree in mechanical engineering. During his time in education he won first prize representing his school during a 1968 Science Fair sponsored by the Junior Engineering Technical Society as the only black student during the time of Legal Segregation in Mobile, Alabama, with his creation of ‘The Linex’ robot.
His love for science led to one of the most well known feats in design and engineering as in 1982, he came to create the first prototype of the Super Soaker. This was not the only toy he designed and created, as he soon became known as the “King of all Toy Guns” with the creation of the NERF soaker and N-Strike pressure systems.
Dame Magdalene Anyango Namakhiya Odundo DBE was born in Nairobi, Kenya in 1950 and moved to the UK in 1971 after studying in Kenya and India for he early education. With ceramics as her preferred medium, she studied at what is now UCA and the Royal College of Art, becoming a Professor of Ceramics in 2000.
Over the years following she has received the African Art Recognition Award, African Heritage Outstanding Achievement in the Arts Award, an honorary doctorate from the University of Florida, UAL, an OBE for Arts and Art Education, and was made a Dame. Given this myriad of achievements, Dame Magdalene Odundo is now recognised as one of the worlds most acclaimed Ceramicists. In 2018, she became the Chancellor of the Univerisity for the Creative Arts, the university in which she studied earlier in her life.
Born in 1960, Glenn Ligon is a contemporary artist whos work ranges across a broad spectrum of topics from sexuality to the aftermath of slavery in the 1970s. With an education in Wesleyan University and the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program, Ligon has exhibited his work across the globe, and focuses his craft in New York.
He explores and expands on American history through his mainly text-based artwork, alongside the mediums of photography, prints, and sculptural installations. His awards and honors include a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship and the Studio Museum’s Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize. His exploration of history is shown in his usage of language and text as a type of found artifact, highlights of different cultures and stories through time.
