Noted Artist, Writer Pindell to Present in Paul R. Jones Lecture Series

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Noted artist, curator and writer Howardena Pindell will discuss the evolution of her work as part of The University of Alabama’s Paul R. Jones Lecture Series.

Pindell will present “Figurative/Non-Figurative: A Chronological View of the Work of Howardena Pindell” April 19 at 7 p.m. in room 222 of Lloyd Hall on the UA campus.

Her lecture is jointly sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and its department of American studies and department of art and art history.

Pindell’s work is featured in the UA Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art, which was acquired by the University in 2008 and includes one of the largest and most comprehensive bodies of 20th century African-American art in the world. The College of Arts and Sciences established a guest lecture series to complement the collection.

Pindell is known for infusing her work with intense political and sociological content based on her own life experiences as an African-American artist emerging during the Civil Rights Movement. Her artistic style has evolved from figurative art to large collage abstractions using a variety of mediums.

As she says in her 1997 book, “The Heart of the Question: The Writings and Paintings of Howardena Pindell,” “The goal of my work is to share knowledge. I do not see art and life as separate.”

She was born in Philadelphia, Penn. and became interested in art at an early age when she began taking art classes on Saturdays. She later attended Boston University and Yale University. Since the early 1970s Pindell has been an activist in the art community and has written articles shedding light on issues of race, censorship and violence. Pindell has also traveled the world and her experiences in such places as Egypt, Nigeria, Japan, Russia and India influence her work.

Pindell’s belief that the arts community should become more inclusive of women and minorities sparked a revolution in her work. She published groundbreaking studies that document the lack of representation of artists of color through racism, censorship and violence.

Pindell’s awards include the College Art Association, Studio Museum of Harlem Artist Award and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. Her work is represented in collections worldwide including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Detroit Institute of New York, Chase-Manhattan Bank in New York, the Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn, New York and The Louisiana Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark.

The College of Arts and Sciences is the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.