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digital archive - WILLIAM E. ARTIS

WILLIAM ARTIS (1914 - 1977 ) came to New York in 1927 and studied
with Augusta Savage, whose studio, The Uptown Art Laboratory, served as an informal classroom and salon for Harlem Renaissance artists (see also Ernest Crichlow). By 1946, he had established his reputation as a ceramacist and sculptor, receiving a Harmon Foundadtion Fellowship to demonstrate his technique at several of the Historically Black Colleges
and Universities. Artis worked primarily in terra cotta through the 40's, best known for his sensitive portrayals of male subjects. His work is associated with the concept of Négritude, a search for the core of black
existence and esthetics.

MICHAEL
1950
BRONZE
6 1/2"w x 9"h x 6 1/2"d

LINKS

The Affrican American Registry
a biography of the artist
www.aaregistry.com

Leopold Senghor and the concept of Négritude
notes from a lecture by Wallace Mills
www.husky1.stmarys.ca

The Harmon Foundation
a historical overview from the National Archives
www.archives.gov