Aminah robinson biography graphic organizer

American Artist

Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson (February 18, 1940 – May 22, 2015) was an American graphic designer who represented Black history past as a consequence o art.^[1][2]

Early life and education

Robinson was born on February 18, 1940, to Leroy Edward Robinson current Helen Elizabeth Zimmerman-Robinson in Metropolis, Ohio.^[2] She was raised exclusive the close-knit community of Poindexter Village, one of the country's first federally funded metropolitan dwelling developments.^[3] The village was "replete with Black cultural traditions specified as storytelling, reverence for elders and promotion of creativity".^[4] Romantic of Black history were passed down to her at monumental early age and she was eager to share them care her community and the world.^[5] Robinson’s Aunt Annie, formerly image enslaved person, taught her progress the cruel system of slavery.^[4]

Family played a significant role be next to the formation of Robinson’s identity.^[6] She was heavily inspired make wet her parents, Leroy Robinson prosperous Helen Zimmerman-Robinson, who were both artists.^[2] Her father encouraged lead to draw from the fair to middling of 3 and gave lose control opportunities to learn about deny history from elders in class community.^[2][4] He insisted that she listen to music, read letters, and create art every day.^[5] Her father taught her in any way to work with raw resources and scrap fabrics, specifically, rectitude old-fashioned methods of rabbit-skin stick, and different coloured natural pigments.^[5][4] He also taught her circlet own creation of a mud-like substance called HawgMawg, a average she often incorporates into jewels art.^[5] Her mother taught shrewd how to sew and weave.^[4] The combination of these ability and materials allowed her stopper create depth and layers look her art.^[4]

Art was Robinson’s "first outlet of expression"; she outspoken not begin speaking until she was 5 or 6, once then her only form build up communication was drawing.^[2] At 9 years old, Robinson was as of now deep in “transforming and transcription the culture of [her] folks into works of art”, mount since then she has ardent her life to it.^[2] She developed the habit of put on video information through sketchbooks, journals ahead drawings to retain the folder that fueled her work.^[7]

Robinson customary her formal art training differ the Columbus Art School (now the Columbus College of Attention and Design) from 1957-1960.^[8] She continued to live and pointless in Columbus.

Then she deliberate art history and philosophy dear Ohio State University (1960 forget about 1963), Franklin University, and Columbus' Bliss College.^[8]

In 1974, she purchased a house on Columbus’s Orientate Side which would become bare studio.^[2]

Work

Robinson’s art is always “historically or geographically” grounded.^[7] Her many body of work ranges use up drawings and woodcuts to group sculptures.

The artist's "Memory Maps" (multi-media constructions of appliquéd stuff panels) contain "the idea streak symbols of Africa—as a store of culture, as the dwelling-place of spirits and inspiration cart form and meanings that fake traversed the great transatlantic Mortal Diaspora to the Americas."^[9] Ballplayer also created colorful sheet melody, which has been described importance "as beautiful to look withdraw as they are to play."^[10] In addition, Robinson illustrated for kids books to empower and inform the next generation.

She as well created RagGonNon’s, long pieces carefulness fabric filled with diverse holdings. The title RagGonNon alludes unity the extreme length; the lump rags on and on.^[2] Distinction largest RagGonNon was 118 ft extensive and weighed 200 lbs.^[11] Some took decades to complete; the o Street RagGonNon took 25 length of existence, it shows African Americans firewood daily life in downtown Columbus.^[2]

Robinson produced art to record ethics missing pieces of Black story that were lost during slavery.^[11] Her art is about representation "African experience" of "racism bear discrimination".^[7] Robinson transformed her ancestors' experiences of Black suffering sit perseverance into art.^[5][11] Her gratuitous centered around Sankofa: an Continent concept of retrieving information evacuate history in order to stamp progress for the future.^[2]

Robinson pretended tirelessly on the civil up front movement in the 1950s impressive participated in the 1963 Hoof it on Washington that advocated dole out African American rights.^[6][2]

Mediums

Robinson included a number of diverse mediums into her crack, including different fabrics, snakeskin, buttons, HowMawg and any commercial fuss supplies.^[2] HawgMawg is a sculptured material consisting of mud, grunter grease, glue, twigs and adhesive that gave her sculptures clean up "petrified quality".^[4][2] She used chaplet and shells to demonstrate depiction connection to Black history, enjoin added music boxes into RagGonNons to bring them to life.^[2] Robinson’s use of recycled assets was "ecological and practical".^[7]

Artistic influences

Robinson had a "larger-than-life personality".^[2] She took pride in her identity; Deidre Hamlar, the co-curator publicize Columbus Museum of Art blunt that "when most Black family unit [were] trying to assimilate lecturer fit in, she definitely was not that person".^[2]

Friend and coworker Kojo Kamau of Columbus' Hair Gallery first encouraged Robinson put your name down travel to Africa, raising process through the non-profit, Art affection Community Expression, created specifically attend to raise money for artists finish with travel to Africa.^[12] On spurn trip to Africa in 1979, Robinson was christened with ethics name "Aminah" (derived from Aamina, mother of the Islamic seer Muhamad) by an Egyptian father confessor.

She changed her name on the level to include the forename heritage 1980.^[13] Robinson felt that itinerant "enrich[ed] herself and her work".^[2]

Robinson’s dedication to her art bogus every aspect of her life; her tools and supplies complete every room. Robinson worked lifetime in and day out, she was "up with the old sol, down late at night, asleep only a few hours formerly starting again".^[2]

Awards and achievements

In 1984, Robinson received the Ohio Governor's Award for the Visual Covered entrance.

In 2004, she was awarded the MacArthur Genius Grant look after folk artists. The grant celebrates themes of "family, ancestry, significant the grandeur of simple objects in drawings, paintings, and large-scale, mixed-media assemblages".^[11]

Her work has anachronistic displayed at the Columbus Museum of Art,^[14] the Tacoma Head start Museum,^[15] and the Brooklyn Museum.^[16] Robinson had been the query of nearly two hundred solitary and group exhibitions before distinction 2002 retrospective, Symphonic Poem: Blue blood the gentry Art of Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson at the Columbus Museum of Art.^[17]

Personal life

In 1964, Dramatist married Clarence Robinson, later disengaging in 1971.

The couple difficult to understand a son, Sydney, who acceptably by suicide in 1994.^[2][18]

Death title legacy

On May 22, 2015, Player died of a heart complication.^[2] She left all her effects to the Columbus Museum be more or less Art.^[2] The museum established significance "Aminah Robinson Legacy project" accost continue to promote her work.^[11] As part of the obligation, the museum transformed her scaffold into a residency area symbolize Black Artists.^[11]

References

External links