Nancy Wilson: Born February 20, 1937

Nancy Wilson’s musical style is so diverse that it is hard to classify. Over the years her repertoire has included pop style ballads, jazz and blues, show tunes and well known standards. Critics have described her as “a jazz singer,” “a blues singer,” “a pop singer,” and “a cabaret singer.” Still others have referred to her as “a storyteller,” “a professor emeritus of body language,” “a consummate actress,” and “the complete entertainer.” Then who is this song stylist (that’s the descriptive title she prefers) whose voice embodies the nuances of gospel, blues, and jazz? Her colleague and long time friend Joe Williams used to call her “the thrush from Columbus.”
FROM http://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/nancywilson

Please note: since we originally posted this, Nancy Wilson passed away, on December 13, 2018.

February 19~ African-American visual artists

 

Clarence Matthew “Matt” Baker (1921-1959)
Credited as the first successful African-American comic book artist
http://cbldf.org/2016/02/profiles-in-black-cartooning-matt-baker/

Profiles in Black Cartooning: Matt Baker

 

 

 

 

 

 

Betye Saar (Born 1926)
American-American artist known for assemblages and installations
https://hammer.ucla.edu/now-dig-this/artists/betye-saar/

https://americanart.si.edu/blog/eye-level/2010/02/896/wishing-winter

John Thomas Biggers~ Educator, Painter and Muralist

Twentieth century artist John Thomas Biggers was an educator, painter and muralist. His travels in Africa in the 1950s influenced the depiction of social and cultural themes in his work.
John Thomas Biggers was born in Gastonia, North Carolina in 1924. The youngest of seven children, Biggers enrolled in Hampton Institute where he initially studied plumbing. However, he found that his true love was art and soon changed his major.
http://www.blackpast.org/aaw/biggers-john-thomas-1924-2001#sthash.y5ZFuPZn.dpuf

Read more~
http://thejohnsoncollection.org/john-biggers/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_T._Biggers

February 18~ African-American visual artists

Charles W. White (1918-1979), African-American Social Realist painter, printmaker, and muralist
https://www.moma.org/artists/6339

Missouri C / 1972 / Etching / 19 13/16”x35 9/16″


Roy DeCarava (1919-2009),
African-American artist and photographer
https://www.arts.gov/honors/medals/roy-r-decarava

Lingerie / 1950 / Gelatin silver print / 11”x14”

February 17~ African-American visual artists


Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), African-American painter, printmaker, and academic

http://www.dcmooregallery.com/artists/jacob-lawrence

The Photographer / 1942 / Watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paper / 22 1/8”x30 1/2”


Robert H. McNeill (1917-2005)
African-American photographer who chronicled Black life in the U.S.
http://www.dchistory.org/robert-h-mcneill-1917-2005/

Make A Wish (Bronx Slave Market, 170th Street, New York) / 1938 / Gelatin silver print / 7 1/2”x9 5/8”

February 16~ African-American visual artists

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Ernest Crichlow (1914-2005), African-American painter, illustrator, and graphic artist
https://bit.ly/2XAXaJp

Shoe Shine / 1953 / Oil on Masonite / 16 1/16”x12 1/16”

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Hughie Lee-Smith (1915-1999),
African-American artist and educator
https://pffcollection.com/artists/hughie-lee-smith/

Untitled (Maypole) / c.1955 / Oil on Masonite /19”x13 1/2″

February 15~ African-American visual artists

Gordon Parks (1912-2006), African-American photographer, writer, composer and filmmaker
http://www.gordonparksfoundation.org/artist/biography

Department Store, Mobile, Alabama / 1956 / 20”x16” / Archival Pigment Print

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alarm / 1985 / Oil on linen / 52”x64”

Felrath Hines (1913-1993), African-American abstract painter and art conservator
https://www.felrathhines.com/bio/

 

February 14~ African-American visual artists

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jackie Ormes (1911-1985), First African-American Female Syndicated Cartoonist
http://theweeklychallenger.com/jackie-ormes-the-first-professional-african-american-woman-cartoonist/

Torchy in Heartbeats / The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum

Romare Bearden (1911-1988), Prominent African-American artist and writer
https://beardenfoundation.org/romare-bearden/

Sunday After Sermon / 1969 / Collage on cardboard / 40”x50”