African American artists

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Artist John Chandler delivered 3 lectures. He spoke on 4/21/1971 (2015-0002/RR42), 1/29/1974 (2015-0002/RR43), and 4/8/1975 (2015-0002/RR40).

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Painter Ed Clark lectured at the University of Connecticut on 3/10/1971 (2015-0002/RR119).

Scope and Contents Sculptor Melvin Edwards delivered an incredible 19 lectures to students of the Black Experience in the Arts course. Edwards' lectures range from 1971 to 1987, covering much of the class' existence. Working mostly with metal, his work has been highligted in over a dozen solo shows and 40 group exhibitions. His most famous work are a collection of metal objects entitled "Lynch Fragments." Over 200 pieces, such as locks, nails, and chains, exist in the collection which symbolize the violence...

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Painter Barkley Hendricks delivered 2 lectures to the Black Experience in the Arts course. The first occurring on 11/4/1986 (2015-0002/RR38) and the 2nd happening on 11/17/1987 (2015-0002/RR39).

Scope and Contents Painter, sculptor, and art historian Oakley Holmes delivered 2 lectures that can be found on 3 reels (1 is a copy).In his 1977 lecture, Holmes stressed that African-American art is not based on 1 style or mode of thought; it is as varied as the many personalities that produce such works. He emphasized that white artists or artists of other colors also encounter great difficulties, but black artists have always found themselves at greater disadvantages. Holmes...

Scope and Contents Architect Conrad Johnson delivered 4 lectures to the Black Experience in the Arts course, ranging from the years 1978 to 1983. In his 1983 lecture, Johnson described what it was like to be a working architect in New York City. He helped found Ifill, Johnson, and Hanchard architectural design firm. One reason the firm was established was Johnson related how hard it can be for black architect to find a permanent position. Johnson's presentations showed slides of buildings he...

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Painter Souleymane Keita lectured on 10/19/1982 (2015-0002/RR33) and again on 11/6/1984 (2015-0002/RR34).

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Painter and sculptor Andrew Lyght delivered his single lecture on 11/29/1983 (2015-0002/RR220). Lyght is a visual artist from Guyana, primarily a painter, who creates abstract art. Lyght is active in New York and his pieces have been showcased at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Skoto Gallery, and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts among others.

Scope and Contents Landscape painter Richard Mayhew delivered 3 lectures that can be found on 4 reels. Mayhew spoke on 5/6/1970 (2015-0002/RR64), 5/9/1972 (2015-0002/RR65 reel 1), (2015-0002/RR66 reel 2), and lastly on 2/24/1971 2015-0002/RR317). Mayhew was a member of Spiral, a black painters group that formed in 1960s New York City. Mayhew was an art student at the Brooklyn Museum’s school of art and took additional classes at Pratt Institute and Columbia. Mayhew won his first major...

Scope and Contents Painter and illustrator Don Miller lectured 5 times. The presentations can be found on 6 reels. 1st lecture was 11/5/1974 (2015-0002/RR59), the 2nd was 4/12/1977 (2015-0002/RR60), 3rd time was 4/4/1978 (2015-0002/RR61), 4th time was 10/30/1979 (2015-0002/RR62), and the 5th lecture was 4/17/1984 (2015-0002/RR63 reel 1) (2015-0002/RR318 reel 2).It is unknown whether the 2 4/17/1984 lectures required 2 reels or if one of the recordings is a duplicate.Miller, born in...

Scope and Contents Painter and professor of art Deborah Muirhead lectured on 2 occasions. Professor Muirhead taught at the University of Connecticut in the School of Fine Arts. Her second lecture, in 1986, was a survey of African-American art over three centuries as well as her own work. She presented a slideshow that showed basket making, paintings, and sculpture created by African-American artists. Muirhead, like Oakley Holmes, used her lecture to cite the success of individual black artists...

Scope and Contents Poet, playwright, and journalist Lennox Raphael lectured on 11/30/1971 (2015-0002/RR252). Raphael, born in Trinidad, began his career as a writer by working as a reporter in Jamaica before coming to the United States as a U.N. correspondent during the 1960s. Living in New York City, Raphael became a staff writer for the underground newspaper, the East Village Other, and an editor for Umbra, a poetry journal. In 1969, Raphael worked as a writer in the schools with the Teachers and Writers...

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Art professor Oscar Walters delivered lectures on 11/1/1977 (2015-0002/RR293) and 9/24/1985 (2015-0002/RR294).

Walters graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art and then earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in fine arts from Yale University. He would go on to become one of the first African American professors at the University of Connecticut to be tenured.

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Painter Jack Whitten delivered 2 lectures. He spoke on 3/17/1971 (2015-0002/RR295) and 4/26/1988 (2015-0002/RR296).