This collection showcases the rich legacies of HBCUs through artistic expression. Featured works include paintings, sculptures, murals, mixed media, prints, drawings, and fine art photography.
Sifuentes' painting shows a landscape filled with grass and a barren tree, with a bird perched atop. The tree bears human characteristics, perhaps symbolizing the interconnectedness of all living beings. This piece is painted in a geometric style that appears frequently in the work of students of Dr. John T. Biggers during the mid to late 1970s. Sifuentes later went on to become an art professor at Texas Southern.
Merton D. Simpson was an abstract expressionist painter and African art collector. Landscape Symphony is an abstract landscape that depicts a white sun with hues of a dark blue-green sky. The connected polygons of vibrant red, green, and orange are the main emphasis of the piece. They reach three bunches of short highlighted strokes in the landscape.
Merton D. Simpson was an abstract expressionist painter and African art collector from Brooklyn, N.Y. Landscape of Summer is an abstract depiction of a sunny day. Simpson blends shades of yellow, orange, and brown to emulate the luminence of a summer day.
Cole blends weaving methods with surrealist elements in this piece. The work depicts three cyclopes, mythological figures with one eye in the center of their foreheads, standing on a shore. Two of them are holding spears, while a meteor hurtles through the sky. The frowning faces of the figures add to the sense of impending doom.
John Woodrow Wilson was a sculptor, painter, printmaker, and educator from Roxbury, MA. La Calle, or The Street, is a print depiction of people traveling a gold cobblestoned street. There are male workers carrying wood and rock slabs, women and their children walking, a woman watching the street, and a man facing the viewer.
This drawing by Vernon Simmons depicts a kuduo, vessels owned by kings in Akan kingdoms (modern-day Ghana), adorned by tortoises, a sign of longevity. The central figure seated under the umbrella is the nana, a ruler of the Akan people; he is surrounded by attendants. Dr. Biggers was an avid collector of African art and he used pieces from his collection as teaching tools for his students.
Alcee's mixed media painting, “Konga,” is a testament to music's power to uplift and excite. The artist draws inspiration from his experience working alongside Franck Kemkeng Noah, who taught him about the significance of Bamileke masks and symbols during a residency at TSU, and his St. Lucian heritage, shown in the vibrant colors and fluid movement of the piece. Alcee graduated from Texas Southern University is currently pursuing a teaching certification.
John T. Biggers was an educator, painter, and muralist from Gastonia, NC. Kneeling Figure is a sculpture of a nude man kneeling on his knees. His back is hunched over as he leans to the left with his hands resting on his left knee.
Gladys Williams Renwick was a painter from St.Louis, MO. Kirks Mill is a watercolor painting of a rural neighborhood in Autumn. The painting features four homes of various sizes and colors. There are various trees in the background: some barren and others with orange and green leaves.
This painting shows children quarreling over a bicycle. The young boy in yellow is painted dramatically wailing, while the other child is portrayed from behind with a raised, balled fist. Dr. John Biggers encouraged Texas Southern student artists to create art based on what they saw. Scenes of children often appear in the permanent collection of TSU.
Mills paints a compelling and complex commentary on violence against indigenous people in the United States. In the foreground, a lifeless indigenous person floats next to a wrecked canoe. In the center, a white woman prepares to fire a cannon, still smoking from its last round. Behind her, a stoic Black woman holds one white baby and shelters another white child within her cloak. In the background, a faceless indigenous person reaches towards the scene.
A native of New Orleans, Green transferred to TSU’s art program following Hurricane Katrina. His mural ties different aspects of New Orleans history and culture together through floodwaters. Enslaved ancestors stand at auction, and the city skyline, including the Superdome, is featured prominently.
Moses Adams Jr.'s sculpture depicts a kangaroo mother with human-like hands and breasts. The clasped hands under the open pouch signify protection. Detailed, oversized hands are characteristic of the work of John Biggers and his students. Additionally, mothers of various forms and species are a common subject of the student terracottas from Texas Southern University.
Lloyd’s scene closely focuses on three faces wracked with strong feelings. In the foreground, an angry man reaches out, while the middle figure turns completely inward, and the far right figure is deep in thought. These emotions are heightened by the dark hues in the composition.
This bust is a self-portrait of the artist. Jones depicted his face with sharp features, high cheekbones, and protruding veins near the brow line. The crown is adorned with spiral motifs, dots, and rolled clay. Atop is a shrine structure, with a turtle within. Turtles and tortoises are often used to symbolize longevity. Students were encouraged to adorn their self-portraits with additional embellishments.
Jones' self-portrait has a piercing facial expression and displays protruding veins near the brow line and a direct stare from the eyes. The crown is adorned with a spider and the outline of a web along the scalp, along with a spiral near the left ear. The design may have been inspired by Spiderman, who debuted in comics 8 years earlier.
Tinker's painting is a self-portrait of the artist wearing her hair in an afro and a tunic draped over one shoulder. A golden halo emanates from behind her afro, attracting the viewer's eye to the center. As a part of the art curriculum, students would create various self-portraits. Tinker continues to practice art and is now based in Boston.
This photograph by Earlie Hudnall, Jr. shows John Biggers being inducted into the Order of Kilimanjaro, an award given to him by the African Union at an event in Houston. Africa and African roots were essential parts of Biggers' art and teachings. He is often credited as one of the first African American artists to visit Africa and begin to incorporate African art and traditions into his art.
Davis drew his black-and-white self portrait during his time as an art student at Texas Southern University. He drew himself clean-shaven with long sideburns. His use of charcoal creates the smooth and balanced shading seen in this piece.The artist also completed a terracotta self portrait of his head. Self-portraits in drawing classes remain a part of the art major curriculum at TSU.
Charles White was a painter, printmaker, muralist, and educator known for his stylistic approach to African American subjects from Chicago, IL. John Brown is a print portrait of its namesake. He was a prominent member of the American abolitionist movement. The print portrays Brown in dark hues as he stares off into the distance.
This photograph by Earlie Hudnall, Jr. shows John Biggers seated on a bench near Texas Southern's Fairchild Building. He holds a mother & child sculpture in his left hand and an Aunt Dicy sculpture in his right. A mammy doll is seen to his left on the ground. In 1955, Biggers illustrated J. Mason Brewer's version of the African-American folktale, Aunt Dicy Tales: Snuff-Dipping Tales of the Texas Negro.
This photograph by Earlie Hudnall, Jr. shows John Biggers seated with boys on a porch. The setting is Laurel, MS, where the men stopped during a road trip on their way to Gastonia, North Carolina, Biggers' hometown. Lacking proper materials, Hudnall stored the negative in water in a McDonald's cup until he could develop it.
This image was captured by Earlie Hudnall, Jr., longtime TSU campus photographer and student of Dr. Biggers. This photo is of Biggers’ mural Family Unity, located on TSU’s campus in the student center dining hall. The mural was commissioned by the student body in the mid-1970s, and reflects themes of family, ancestry, and rural & urban house structures.
Jimmie Mosely was an artist, navyman, and art professor from Lakeland, FL. Johannesburg is an abstract watercolor depiction of African people traveling through the street. Mosely uses bright colors that emphasize the vibrance of South African culture.
Vital’s drawing may be a mural pre-study. The scene depicts a spirit of revelry, with musicians entertaining a large crowd gathered to enjoy the music and dance. The instruments vary from those of a typical blues and jazz ensemble, like the drum set, trumpet, and guitar, to the tambourine, often associated with southern gospel. The figures' fluidity suggests movement and freedom.
Archie Taylor was an artist from Montgomery, AL. Javanese Ritual is an abstract depiction of an indigenous Indonesian spiritual ceremony. The Javanese have rituals for coming-of-age, marriage, appeals to nature, and secret initiations.
Franklin’s painting contains 12 portraits of Black people, ranging in age from children to elders. The postures and facial expressions range from smiles to blank stares, and there is also a range in attire from formal to casual wear. Behind the faces are the words: “It’s just a bunch of black faces/Does this really come from the heart/Does he draw any other races/I dont know if I’d call this art (2x)/It’s just a bunch of black faces/It’s just a bunch of Black faces/If he gets any bigger will he still just draw n___”
Calvin Burnett was a graphic artist, illustrator, painter, designer, and art teacher from Cambridge, MA. Insect is a painting of a dragonfly in a close-up perspective. The dragonfly is primarily bright green with long, thin legs, two white wings, and a dark blue head. A naturalistic setting of bright yellows, browns, and greens surrounds it.
Mills’s mural depicts a nation in turmoil, with scenes of racial violence, and pushback by Black protestors. A figure lifts the American flag to reveal white supremacy. On the right side, Stokely Carmichael’s face bursts through the flag, alluding to the 1967 TSU Invasion. During the invasion, 488 TSU students were arrested and Houston Police fired almost 5000 bullets into the men's dormitory.
Curnell's painting shows a field of crops stretching into a cloudy horizon, with four people working the field. Two men are actively picking, while a man and woman stand to the side, resting next to a water pail. The figures’ dress and posture seem to suggest that this may be a family farm, rather than a plantation scene depicting slavery.
