Visual artist Steve Locke discusses public art, the difference between memory and history, and how Black history is sometimes white history. I want to start with the painter and educator Josef Albers. Albers is known for Homage to the Square, which he did from 1950 until his passing in 1976. For more than three years,

While many creatives have showcased works and started trends that have influenced culture, African American visual and literary artists have crafted narratives that have shifted society’s understanding and appreciation of the beautiful complexities of Black life and culture.   As the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), the founders of Black

Throughout Washington, D.C., and beyond, Sam Gilliam was celebrated as a pioneering African-American artist, illuminated not only through his groundbreaking work but also through stories from various people about his impact.  Gilliam, who was born in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1933 and died in the nation’s capital in 2022, was affectionately called the “dean” of the

Nine students in the High School Visual Arts Program at UNCSA have won 13 awards in the 2024 Mid-Carolina Scholastic Art Awards. The students collected five Gold Keys, six Silver Keys, and two Honorable Mentions. Serving students and educators from central North and South Carolina, the Mid-Carolina Scholastic Art Awards are hosted by the College of

As February unfolds, our school district highlights the importance of Black History Month under the theme “African Americans and the Arts.” To mark this celebration, the district welcomed three distinguished artists to the middle schools, each showcasing their unique talents and perspectives.  “Our goal with this event was to provide students with the opportunity to

If you want to go down a rabbithole of fun debates over who said it and arguments about whether it’s true, search the famous (infamous?) quote, “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” Leaving aside the fact that dancing about architecture seems fabulous — more dancing about everything, I say—there’s a stickiness to this

Art is a resonant source in a near-constant orbit around my life and work, so I was immediately drawn to Bianca Bosker’s new book. Get The Picture titillates as a peek inside the closed society of fine art, as the author infiltrates art dimensions that mere mortals dare not enter. The hallowed art halls are

After the Great Migration saw African Americans relocate in high numbers to northern cities to escape racist oppression, 1920s Harlem, New York became a mecca for Black creativity in visual, literary and performing arts. The Harlem Renaissance was rooted in countering racial stereotypes and prejudices through Black self-representation and the movement left a significant and

Explore This article is part of series of Nautilus interviews with artists, you can read the rest here. Artist Mark Belan is a master at grabbing attention. The scroll-stopping infographics he creates for The Visual Capitalist blog are so popular on social media, there’s a good chance you’ve seen his work before. That’s no accident.

Des Lee Fine Arts Festival brings nearly 1,000 students from across the St. Louis region to UMSL Andrew Pulliam, a music educator in the Webster Groves School District, directs the high school orchestra during rehearsal at the Des Lee Fine Arts Festival in the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. (Photos by Derik Holtmann) The