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Houston Conwill

Houston Eugene Conwill (April 2, 1947 – November 14, 2016) was an American multidisciplinary artist known best for large-scale public sculptural installations. Conwill was a sculptor, painter, and performance and conceptual artist whose site-specific works explore and celebrate spirituality and African-American artists, activists, and intellectuals.[1] Studio Museum in Harlem recognised his body of work as a "lasting monument to black culture."[2]

Houston Conwill
Houston Conwill in 1974, Washington D.C.
Born(1947-04-02)April 2, 1947
DiedNovember 14, 2016(2016-11-14) (aged 69)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materHoward University
University of Southern California
OccupationArtist
Years active1971–2016

Early life and career edit

Houston Eugene Conwill was born on April 2, 1947, in Louisville, Kentucky, to Mary Luella Herndon, an educator, and Giles Adolph Conwill, a waiter. He was the third of their six children. His father died when he was a child and his maternal grandmother (Estella Houston, who he was named for) played an important role in his upbringing. Conwill was raised Catholic, his mother a teacher and administrator at a predominantly black parochial school. His sister Estella Conwill Majozo is an author, poet, and professor. At least one of his brothers, Giles Conwill, went on to join the priesthood. For a time, in his late teens, Conwill lived in Saint Meinrad Archabbey, a monastery in Saint Meinrad, Indiana.

After joining the Air Force in 1966 where he served three years until the fall of 1970, he enrolled in Howard University's art department. During his time at Howard, Conwill worked with Sam Gilliam, Lois Mailou Jones, and Skunder Boghossian, and took in the displays of traditional African art exhibited in Howard's gallery. It was here, and in his first student exhibition in 1971, that Conwill started making works with canvases stretched over pyramid shapes, a motif that would recur throughout his artistic career.[3] Conwill was graduated from Howard in 1973 and moved with his wife, fellow Howard art school graduate Kinshasha Holman Conwill, to California. Houston pursued his master's degree from University of Southern California[4] and Kinshasha worked at curator of Frank Lloyd Wright's Hollyhock House, where they lived for two years.[3]

Personal life edit

Conwill married Karen Holman (also known as Kinshasha Holman Conwill) in a Ghanaian ceremony at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington D.C. in 1971.[5] Conwill died on November 14, 2016, of prostate cancer.

Significant works edit

In 1989, Conwill produced an installation piece for the Museum of Modern Art's series, Projects, called The Cakewalk Humanifesto: A Cultural Libation. An etched-glass frame, reminiscent of the rose window at Chartres, was etched with words and maps, projecting patterns onto the marble floor of the gallery. The piece also featured a table on which rested a book of letters, written by his sister, Estella. Readings of the letters were a component of the exhibition.[6]

 
Rivers (1992) a public art installation and memorial to Langston Hughes and Arturo A. Schomburg, in the form of a cosmogram medallion in the foyer of the Schomburg Center in Harlem.

Perhaps Conwill's most prominent work is Rivers, his terrazzo and brass floor design at the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Unveiled in February 1992, the floor honors poet Langston Hughes whose ashes are buried in a book-shaped urn within the design. The name of the work, Rivers, is in reference to Hughes's poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers", and includes visual elements from Yoruba, Haitian voodou, and Christian traditions. Conwill again collaborated with his sister, Estella, as well as architect Joseph De Pace.[7]

 
ARC (1986) by Houston Conwill - composed of African brass in concrete, whose shadow tracks etched and inlaid metal circles in the pavement beneath

In 1986 Arc, a large scale installation, was created by Conwill for the 160th Street entrance to the York College, CUNY campus.[8] Arc has a span of 26 feet, it is composed of metals, commonly known as "African brass", embedded in concrete. It is covered by inlays of various symbols rising out of the surface created by arc spraying, a technique in which an electric arc melts metal wires onto the surface. Arc is oxidized to a teal green color, similar to New York City's Statue of Liberty. The piece includes three inlaid metal circles embedded in nearby concrete pavements. Each circle has one word repeated twice in capital letters. ‘MEMORY’ is placed beneath the arched feature, followed by ‘VISION’ a few stairs over and then, few steps away is ‘IMAGINATION’. Each circle is divided into four equal sections with inlaid lines reminiscent of Yowa,[9] the Kongo cosmogram for the continuity of human life through reincarnation. Many symbols are used by Africans to represent the retention of their culture in the United States of America. Depending on the time of day and the sun's position, the shadow of Arc moves over the metal circles in the ground surrounding it.

Conwill's work is the permanent collections of Museum of Modern Art in New York; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; and the Studio Museum in Harlem.[10]

List of selected works edit

Selected exhibitions edit

  • 1976 JuJu, The Gallery, Los Angeles
  • 1980 Passages: Earth/Space H3, Nexus Gallery, Atlanta
  • 1981 Easter Shout!, PS1, New York
  • 1982 Afro-American Abstraction, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles [18]
  • 1986 Houston Conwill: The Passion of St. Matthew—Painting and Sculpture, Alternative Museum, New York
  • 1990 Houston Conwill: Project Series, Museum of Modern Art, New York
  • 1990 Hirshhorn WORKS 89: Daniel Buren, Buster Simpson, Houston Conwill, Matt Mullican / Sidney Lawrence, Ned Rifkin, and Phyllis Rosenzweig, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.
  • 1990 The Decade Show: Frameworks of Identity in the 1980s, New Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Hispanic Art, and Studio Museum in Harlem, New York
  • 2013 Now Dig This! Art and Black, Los Angeles 1960–1980, MOMA PS1, New York [19]

Awards and honours edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Notable Kentucky African Americans Database". University of Kentucky Libraries. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  2. ^ "Remembering Houston Conwill". Studio Museum in Harlem. January 11, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Jeffries, Rosalind Robinson (1992). Arthur Carraway and Houston Conwill: ethnicity and re-Africanization in American art. Yale University.
  4. ^ "Projects: Houston Conwill". Museum of Modern Art. November 1989.
  5. ^ "Gerri Major's Society World". Jet. January 20, 1972.
  6. ^ Larson, Kay (December 4, 1989). "Corn King". New York Magazine.
  7. ^ "Mythologies". The New Yorker. February 2, 1992. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  8. ^ "Arc, by Houston Conwill". web.york.cuny.edu. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  9. ^ "YOWA - Continuity of Human Life - African Burial Ground National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  10. ^ "Houston Conwill (1947–2016)". www.artforum.com. November 21, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  11. ^ "MTA - Arts & Design | NYCT Permanent Art". web.mta.info. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  12. ^ "Transit Agency Creates Art Havens in Subways". The New York Times. November 6, 1989. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  13. ^ "Open Secret (Houston Conwill)". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  14. ^ "Sculpture "Poets Rise" exterior of Joseph P. Addabbo Federal Building, Jamaica, Queens, New York". The Library of Congress. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  15. ^ "City of Chicago :: Harold Washington Library". www.cityofchicago.org. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  16. ^ Services, Miami-Dade County Online. "Art en Route - Miami-Dade County". www.miamidade.gov. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  17. ^ "Architectural art "The New Ring Shout" at Ted Weiss Federal Building, New York, New York". The Library of Congress. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  18. ^ "Afro-American Abstraction | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  19. ^ "Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles 1960–1980 | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  20. ^ Buie, Linda (2008). . York College, City University of New York. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  21. ^ "Houston Conwill | Now Dig This! digital archive | Hammer Museum". Hammer Museum. Retrieved March 19, 2018.

houston, conwill, houston, eugene, conwill, april, 1947, november, 2016, american, multidisciplinary, artist, known, best, large, scale, public, sculptural, installations, conwill, sculptor, painter, performance, conceptual, artist, whose, site, specific, work. Houston Eugene Conwill April 2 1947 November 14 2016 was an American multidisciplinary artist known best for large scale public sculptural installations Conwill was a sculptor painter and performance and conceptual artist whose site specific works explore and celebrate spirituality and African American artists activists and intellectuals 1 Studio Museum in Harlem recognised his body of work as a lasting monument to black culture 2 Houston ConwillHouston Conwill in 1974 Washington D C Born 1947 04 02 April 2 1947Louisville Kentucky U S DiedNovember 14 2016 2016 11 14 aged 69 The Bronx New York U S NationalityAmericanAlma materHoward UniversityUniversity of Southern CaliforniaOccupationArtistYears active1971 2016 Contents 1 Early life and career 2 Personal life 3 Significant works 3 1 List of selected works 4 Selected exhibitions 5 Awards and honours 6 ReferencesEarly life and career editHouston Eugene Conwill was born on April 2 1947 in Louisville Kentucky to Mary Luella Herndon an educator and Giles Adolph Conwill a waiter He was the third of their six children His father died when he was a child and his maternal grandmother Estella Houston who he was named for played an important role in his upbringing Conwill was raised Catholic his mother a teacher and administrator at a predominantly black parochial school His sister Estella Conwill Majozo is an author poet and professor At least one of his brothers Giles Conwill went on to join the priesthood For a time in his late teens Conwill lived in Saint Meinrad Archabbey a monastery in Saint Meinrad Indiana After joining the Air Force in 1966 where he served three years until the fall of 1970 he enrolled in Howard University s art department During his time at Howard Conwill worked with Sam Gilliam Lois Mailou Jones and Skunder Boghossian and took in the displays of traditional African art exhibited in Howard s gallery It was here and in his first student exhibition in 1971 that Conwill started making works with canvases stretched over pyramid shapes a motif that would recur throughout his artistic career 3 Conwill was graduated from Howard in 1973 and moved with his wife fellow Howard art school graduate Kinshasha Holman Conwill to California Houston pursued his master s degree from University of Southern California 4 and Kinshasha worked at curator of Frank Lloyd Wright s Hollyhock House where they lived for two years 3 Personal life editConwill married Karen Holman also known as Kinshasha Holman Conwill in a Ghanaian ceremony at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington D C in 1971 5 Conwill died on November 14 2016 of prostate cancer Significant works editIn 1989 Conwill produced an installation piece for the Museum of Modern Art s series Projects called The Cakewalk Humanifesto A Cultural Libation An etched glass frame reminiscent of the rose window at Chartres was etched with words and maps projecting patterns onto the marble floor of the gallery The piece also featured a table on which rested a book of letters written by his sister Estella Readings of the letters were a component of the exhibition 6 nbsp Rivers 1992 a public art installation and memorial to Langston Hughes and Arturo A Schomburg in the form of a cosmogram medallion in the foyer of the Schomburg Center in Harlem Perhaps Conwill s most prominent work is Rivers his terrazzo and brass floor design at the New York Public Library s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture Unveiled in February 1992 the floor honors poet Langston Hughes whose ashes are buried in a book shaped urn within the design The name of the work Rivers is in reference to Hughes s poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers and includes visual elements from Yoruba Haitian voodou and Christian traditions Conwill again collaborated with his sister Estella as well as architect Joseph De Pace 7 nbsp ARC 1986 by Houston Conwill composed of African brass in concrete whose shadow tracks etched and inlaid metal circles in the pavement beneathIn 1986 Arc a large scale installation was created by Conwill for the 160th Street entrance to the York College CUNY campus 8 Arc has a span of 26 feet it is composed of metals commonly known as African brass embedded in concrete It is covered by inlays of various symbols rising out of the surface created by arc spraying a technique in which an electric arc melts metal wires onto the surface Arc is oxidized to a teal green color similar to New York City s Statue of Liberty The piece includes three inlaid metal circles embedded in nearby concrete pavements Each circle has one word repeated twice in capital letters MEMORY is placed beneath the arched feature followed by VISION a few stairs over and then few steps away is IMAGINATION Each circle is divided into four equal sections with inlaid lines reminiscent of Yowa 9 the Kongo cosmogram for the continuity of human life through reincarnation Many symbols are used by Africans to represent the retention of their culture in the United States of America Depending on the time of day and the sun s position the shadow of Arc moves over the metal circles in the ground surrounding it Conwill s work is the permanent collections of Museum of Modern Art in New York the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington D C the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles and the Studio Museum in Harlem 10 List of selected works edit The Joyful Mysteries 1984 2034 A D 1984 at the Studio Museum in Harlem New York Arc 1986 at York College CUNY New York The Open Secret 1986 mezzanine of 125th Street New York 11 12 13 The Cakewalk Humanifesto A Cultural Libation 1989 at MOMA New York Poets Rise 1989 exterior of Joseph P Addabbo Federal Building Jamaica Queens New York 14 Rivers 1992 at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture New York Du Sable s Journey 1991 with Estella Majoza and Joseph De Pace in the Harold Washington Library Chicago 15 Revelation 1993 also known as the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial with Estella Majoza and Joseph De Pace at Yerba Buena Gardens San Francisco New Calypso 1994 with Estella Conwill Majoza and Joseph De Pace in Park West Station Miami 16 The New Ring Shout 1995 in the Ted Weiss Federal Building near the African Burial Ground National Monument New York New York 17 Selected exhibitions edit1976 JuJu The Gallery Los Angeles 1980 Passages Earth Space H3 Nexus Gallery Atlanta 1981 Easter Shout PS1 New York 1982 Afro American Abstraction Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery Los Angeles 18 1986 Houston Conwill The Passion of St Matthew Painting and Sculpture Alternative Museum New York 1990 Houston Conwill Project Series Museum of Modern Art New York 1990 Hirshhorn WORKS 89 Daniel Buren Buster Simpson Houston Conwill Matt Mullican Sidney Lawrence Ned Rifkin and Phyllis Rosenzweig Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Washington D C 1990 The Decade Show Frameworks of Identity in the 1980s New Museum of Contemporary Art Museum of Contemporary Hispanic Art and Studio Museum in Harlem New York 2013 Now Dig This Art and Black Los Angeles 1960 1980 MOMA PS1 New York 19 Awards and honours edit1982 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship 20 1984 Rome Prize USA 1987 Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation award 21 References edit Notable Kentucky African Americans Database University of Kentucky Libraries Retrieved December 14 2014 Remembering Houston Conwill Studio Museum in Harlem January 11 2018 Retrieved March 20 2018 a b Jeffries Rosalind Robinson 1992 Arthur Carraway and Houston Conwill ethnicity and re Africanization in American art Yale University Projects Houston Conwill Museum of Modern Art November 1989 Gerri Major s Society World Jet January 20 1972 Larson Kay December 4 1989 Corn King New York Magazine Mythologies The New Yorker February 2 1992 Retrieved February 19 2015 Arc by Houston Conwill web york cuny edu Retrieved March 19 2018 YOWA Continuity of Human Life African Burial Ground National Monument U S National Park Service www nps gov Retrieved December 12 2017 Houston Conwill 1947 2016 www artforum com November 21 2016 Retrieved March 20 2018 MTA Arts amp Design NYCT Permanent Art web mta info Retrieved March 19 2018 Transit Agency Creates Art Havens in Subways The New York Times November 6 1989 Retrieved March 19 2018 Open Secret Houston Conwill www nycsubway org Retrieved March 20 2018 Sculpture Poets Rise exterior of Joseph P Addabbo Federal Building Jamaica Queens New York The Library of Congress Retrieved March 19 2018 City of Chicago Harold Washington Library www cityofchicago org Retrieved March 19 2018 Services Miami Dade County Online Art en Route Miami Dade County www miamidade gov Retrieved March 20 2018 Architectural art The New Ring Shout at Ted Weiss Federal Building New York New York The Library of Congress Retrieved March 19 2018 Afro American Abstraction MoMA The Museum of Modern Art Retrieved March 19 2018 Now Dig This Art and Black Los Angeles 1960 1980 MoMA The Museum of Modern Art Retrieved March 19 2018 Buie Linda 2008 Houston Conwill Arc 1986 Metals and Concrete span 26 feet York College City University of New York Archived from the original on April 19 2013 Retrieved December 14 2014 Houston Conwill Now Dig This digital archive Hammer Museum Hammer Museum Retrieved March 19 2018 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Houston Conwill amp oldid 1185973249, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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