 |
| Margaret Taylor-Burroughs (1915-2010), Kindr'd. |
When it comes to conversations on the history of printmaking (Albrecht Durer, Kathe Kollwitz are highly respected), one Black woman is noticeably left out in the modern art context-- Margaret Taylor-Burroughs.
Margaret Taylor Burroughs was born Victoria Margaret Taylor on November 15, 1915 in St. Rose, Louisiana and raised in Chicago, Illinois from age five to onward. She attended high school with the Gwendolyn Brooks and completed her studies at School of Art Institute Chicago, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in arts education, 1946 and Masters of Fine Arts (also in arts education), 1948. Before obtaining higher education, in 1939, she co-founded the
South Side Community Art Center (now a registered Chicago Historic Landmark, 1994) with other local Black artists to encourage art, giving those in a need a space to show, view, and learn about art. In 1961, she co-founded
DuSable Museum, a "museum was developed to preserve and interpret experiences and achievements of people of African descent. The Museum is dedicated to the collection, documentation, preservation and study of the history and culture of Africans and African Americans with more than 15,000 pieces and include paintings, sculpture, print works and historical memorabilia. Special exhibitions, workshops and lectures are featured to highlight works by particular artists, historical events or collections on loan from individuals or institutions."
 |
| Sojourner Truth, drawing, Artstor, retrieved from https://library.artstor.org/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822001056850 |
It is imperative to note that Taylor Burroughs grew up during a time of great strife-- living through
the Civil Rights Movement, the senseless violence fueled by racism, endless lynchings and assassinations. Her works
define the circumstances surrounding the dangerous turmoil for Black bodies in the United States. Thus, she elevates the Black experience, illustrating our most valiant historical heroes from Sojourner Truth to Harriet Tubman as reminders of Black defiance, dignity, and intelligence. They are figures to uphold, to embrace.
 |
| Friends, print, 1949, Artstor, retrieved from https://library.artstor.org/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822001157856 |
Taylor Burroughs's incredible oeuvre of drawing and printmaking must be acknowledged and respected. Her sharp attention to
meticulous detail in the faces and forms of Black figures take on
stories of their own, the varied line weights and directions carving out
well-regarded expression. She gives such earnest care in the chiseling,
in their three dimensional molding. Her figures are not caricatures or simple shapes challenging the composition's negative space. Authoritative power lies in their weights gracing the paper, a sense of heaviness that conveys all the burdens carried through the past and present, passed generation to generation, unique heirlooms that only Blackness places in the hands of its people. There is pride, joy, and love in addition to bravely fighting against struggle and strife.
 |
| Face of Africa, woodcut, 1965, Artstor, retrieved from https://library.artstor.org/asset/AWSS35953_35953_33064399 |
 |
| Portrait of a Woman With Child, woodcut, 1960, Artstor, retrieved from https://library.artstor.org/asset/AWSS35953_35953_33064405 |
She has won countless honors including the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Women's Caucus of Art, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Paul Robeson Award, Excellence in Art by the National Association of Negro Museums, the President's Humanitarian Award, and induction into the Chicago Hall of Fame. She has exhibited work in the United States, Russia, and Germany and has artworks in the collections of the Muscarelle Museum and Rhode Island College's
James P. Adams Library.
In addition to art and educating, Burroughs is a noted poet and author.
 |
| Schoolchildren Reading, lithograph, Artstor, retrieved from https://library.artstor.org/asset/AWSS35953_35953_33064407 |
Margaret Taylor Burroughs died in 2010 at the age of 95 and leaves behind a commendable legacy.
Comments
Post a Comment