Texas Southern University

Items

• Injustice, Inequality, Bigotry, Black Power
  Mills' Hannah Hall mural details a nation in turmoil, with scenes of white supremacy & racial violence, and the pushback of Black protestors & organizers. A central figure either lifts or pulls down the American flag to reveal or hide white supremacy, depending on interpretation.
• Landscape
  Cole blends traditional weaving methods with surrealist elements in this piece. The work depicts three cyclopes standing on a shore, two of whom are holding spears, while a meteor is hurtling through the sky. The frowned faces of the figures add to the sense of impending doom.
• Texas Senate Resolution Commending Texas Southern Artists
  This Texas Senate resolution commends the art students and faculty of Texas State University for Negroes (now Texas Southern University) for their exhibition in the State Capitol in April 1951. It is notable that this exhibition took place years before desegregation.
• Telephone Workers
  O'Higgins' print shows two men balancing on a board and working on a cylindrical structure. Unlike most of the works in their permanent collection, O’Higgins had no connection to Texas Southern. He was an established artist in the 20th century and was mentored by Diego Rivera.
• Beliphone
  This Biggers print shows a figure playing a balafon, with a sankofa bird overhead. The balafon is a West African percussion, and the sankofa bird signifies the importance of the past in improving the future. Taken together, they show the importance of music in preserving culture.
• at Risk...
  This Biggers print shows a head surrounded by animals and a checkerboard. Checkerboards and swirls are common motifs in Biggers' work, which he called "sacred geometry." The pictured animals are symbolic; for instance, tortoises represent longevity, rabbits represent bad omens.
• Old House Near the Trail
  The print by Booker shows a rural landscape featuring a small run down house. The area is not frequented by people which is shown by the boarded window and the cracked and overgrown path.
• House of Worship
  The print by Williams depicts a modest Christian worship house. A fireplace warms the church and a path out the door snakes through a field. Williams was a Texas Southern student in the late 1970s and was taught printmaking by Dr. John T. Biggers, founder of the art department.
• Offsprings + Amen
  This print by Bennie Settles shows a mother and child standing in a field and feeding chickens. Settles' illustration of seeds is reminiscent of the way John Biggers paints seeds in his masterpiece mural "Web of Life."
• Woman Gazing Back at a Group
  This print by Trudell Mimms shows a woman gazing to her right, with unidentifiable figures in the background. In Black Art in Houston: The Texas Southern University Experience, Dr. John T. Biggers referred to Mimms as "one of our finest painters."
• Dog in the Meadow
  This etching by American artist Leonard Baskin shows a dog dozing in a meadow. Unlike most works in the Permanent Collection, the artist is not an alumnus of Texas Southern, nor tied to the university in any way. Instead, this piece was donated to the museum by a benefactor.
• Swimmer Looking Upwards
  This print by Harry Vital shows a woman in a swimsuit tilting her head upwards. Dr. John T. Biggers taught students the craft of printmaking while he was a professor at Texas Southern University. Vital followed in Biggers' footsteps and became a longtime art professor at TSU.
• Man Gazing Right
  This work by Raheem Bellard shows a man, whose face is illuminated by the sun, wearing a green scarf. Cool colors are used throughout the piece, which enhance the tranquility of the composition.
• Futuristic Mother & Child Drawing
  This drawing combines elements of traditional African sculpture and futuristic motifs. The figures’ faces resemble Ashanti akuaba (fertility dolls). The seated mother with a child is also a common motif in African sculpture, as seen in some works from the University Museum’s collection. The figures’ hair textures suggest a more futuristic design.
• Woman Stooped Over Basket
  Askia’s drawing depicts a weary woman at work, stooped over a woven basket. As a student, Askia made a series of drawings that highlight Black women and the different types of labor they perform. Feminist thinkers have long argued that unpaid, domestic labor performed by women is often rendered invisible in discussions of their contributions.
• mpaee
  The work shows a group gathering for a libation ceremony in a field; as one member is pouring water into the ground, the other members are playing musical instruments. A libation ceremony is when liquid is poured into the ground as an offering to and in remembrance of a deceased loved one. This ceremony is practiced across the African Diaspora.
• Creation
  This drawing by Dr. John T. Biggers depicts a family, caught up in a wild storm that is swirling around them. Biggers appears to have later repurposed this sketch and added additional floral details to create his 1992 print Metamorphosis III.
• Ring Shout
  Moe's work displays a joyous religious gathering, featuring a preacher, dancers, musicians, and others. The group appears to be performing a ring shout, or praise break, a characteristic tradition of some Black churches in the Southern US involving dancing, stomping, and singing.
• Thinking Woman Olowe
  Green's drawing depicts a central female figure, deep in thought, surrounded by faint, whispering figures. The scene is reminiscent of a queen's court, with the monarch encircled by attendants and advisors. Green teaches painting and printmaking courses at Texas Southern.
• Solemn Baby Sitting Atop Books
  This drawing by Prinston Nnanna shows a Back baby sitting on a pile of books. Behind the baby, there are a collection of various political newspaper clippings and headlines, which may be provoking the child's saddened disposition.
• Kuduo Owned by Dr. John T. Biggers
  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 asantehene, the ruler of the Ashanti people; he is surrounded by attendants.
• Storyteller
  In this drawing by Willie Moe, a group of children gather around an elderly man in a rocking chair to hear his stories. Oral storytelling is an essential part of preserving the past, particularly in communities that have been denied the opportunity to write their own histories.
• Adair Mural Project
  This sketch by John Biggers is part of his planning process for his mural in Christia V. Adair Park, named for an iconic Houston civil rights activist. The mural design for Adair Park is based on the dogon house, and features several intricate patterns across its multiple panels.
• Suffer Little Children
  This drawing by Oliver Parson shows a group of emaciated children seated on a checkerboard patterned floor. There is also a chick, just hatched from its egg, that seems to be struggling to survive. Parson has an incredible talent for conveying powerful emotions in his works.
• Earl Jones, Jr. interviewed by Ben Schachter
  In this interview, Texas Southern art alumnus Earl Jones, Jr. discusses his experience as a student who graduated in 1996. During his first period of study at TSU, Jones painted a mural reflecting on environmentalism and racism—these themes continue into his current works. Nowadays, Jones primarily creates intricate wood carvings.