Texas Southern University

Items

• Moses Adams, Jr. interviewed by Rita Reyes and Kaylene McCoy-Mosley
  In this interview, Texas Southern art alumnus Moses Adams, Jr. discusses his experiences as a student in the class of 1969. He found his undergraduate courses challenging because he did not have a deep background in art and the TSU faculty had high standards. Adams created a sprawling, abstract mural reflecting on drug addiction and urban decay.
• Vernon Simmons interviewed by Rita Reyes
  In this interview, Texas Southern art alumnus Vernon Simmons discusses his experience as a student who graduated in 1996. Simmons' enrollment was interrupted by his Air Force service; as a result, he learned from different groups of faculty, including Biggers, Simms, Harry Vital, and Harvey Johnson. Biggers inspired him to paint what he could see.
• Richard "Sunnyside" Williams interviewed by Rita Reyes, Kaylene McCoy-Mosley, Ben Schachter
  In this interview, Texas Southern art alumnus Richard "Sunnyside" Williams discusses his experiences as a student who graduated in 1994. He learned from faculty like Biggers, Simms, and Vital, and cites classmates and fellow alumni Roy Vinson Thomas and Karl Hall as influences. Williams taught at Worthing High School for years after graduating.
• Prinston Nnanna interviewed by Ben Schachter
  In this interview, Texas Southern art alumnus Prinston Nnanna discusses his experiences as a student in the class of 2016. He describes TSU's art building as the first place where he learned about living Black artists. He also cites Dr. Biggers as inspiring him to use symbolism in his artwork. Post-graduation, Nnanna teaches at the Pratt Institute.
• Elizabeth Montgomery Shelton interview
  In this interview, Texas Southern art alumnus Elizabeth Montgomery Shelton discusses her experiences as a student in the class of 1971. She was a disciple of Professor Carroll Harris Simms and discusses learning to create clay sculptures from him. She went on to teach in Houston public schools for 37 years after her graduation from Texas Southern.
• Johnetta Tinker interviewed by Ben Schachter
  In this interview, Texas Southern art alumnus Johnetta Tinker discusses her experiences as a student in the class of 1972. As a student, she worked closely with Dr. Biggers and would sneak into his studio to watch him work. She recalls a strong sense of camaraderie with her classmates. After TSU, she was mentored by Boston artist Allen Crite.
• Kermit Oliver interviewed by Dr. Alvia J. Wardlaw
  In this interview, Texas Southern art alumnus Kermit Oliver discusses his time at Texas Southern (1962-1967) and his artistic philosophy & practice with Dr. Alvia J. Wardlaw, director and curator of the University Museum. He highlights the religious, personal, historical, and political influences that shape his artwork.
• Winston Moss interviewed by Rita Reyes and Ben Schachter
  In this interview, Texas Southern art alumnus Winston Moss discusses his experiences as a student in the class of 1963. At TSU, Moss took classes with Dr. John T. Biggers and Professor Carroll Harris Simms. After graduating, he took up woodcarving as a craft, inspired by his father who was a carpenter.
• John C. Davis interviewed by Ben Schachter
  In this interview, Texas Southern art alumnus John C. Davis discusses his experiences as a student of Dr. John T. Biggers. Davis particularly emphasizes his mural in Hannah Hall, which was influenced by the destruction of other murals, and has been damaged in recent years.
• Brenda Mackey Lang interviewed by Rita Reyes and Ben Schachter
  In this interview, former Texas Southern art student Brenda Mackey Lang discusses her time as an art student (1967-73) and as an artist later on. At TSU, Lang learned from Dr. John T. Biggers and Professor Carroll Harris Simms, met Maya Angelou, and protested with Mickey Leland.
• John T. Biggers (On the Occasion of His Induction into the Order of Kilimanjaro)
  This photograph by Earlie Hudnall 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.
• John Biggers on TSU's Campus
  This photograph by Earlie Hudnall 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 (of the eponymous tales) sculpture in his right. A mammy doll is seen to his left on the ground.
• John Biggers in Laurel, Mississippi
  This photograph by Earlie Hudnall shows John Biggers seated with boys on a porch. The setting is Laurel, MS, where the men stopped on their way to Gastonia, NC, Biggers' hometown. Lacking proper materials, Hudnall stored the negative in a McDonald's cup until he could develop it.
• Jean Lacy and Dr. John T. Biggers at the Art Center
  In this photograph, Dr. John Biggers opens the door to Texas Southern's art building, which was dedicated the John T. Biggers Art Center in 1995. Artist Jean Lacy stands to the left of Dr. Biggers. Biggers founded the university's art department in 1949 and retired in 1983.
• Bert Samples, John C. Davis, Harvey Johnson, Leon Renfro, Ricky Donato, and Professor Carroll Harris Simms Walking on TSU's Campus
  Pictured here, left to right, are Texas Southern art alumni Bert Samples, John C. Davis, Harvey Johnson, Leon Renfro, former art student Ricky Donato, and Professor Carroll Harris Simms walking on the campus of TSU. Johnson and Renfro would later go on to teach art at TSU.
• Pre-Sketch of J.W. Sampson's Hannah Hall Mural
  The pre-sketch stage of Texas Southern alumnus J.W. Sampson's mural on the first floor of Hannah Hall is shown here. Before he took paint to the wall, Sampson first made a grid (to help with scaling up to the large mural size) and then drew out his intended design.
• Bert Samples Standing by his Hannah Hall Mural
  Texas Southern art alumnus Bertram (Bert) Samples is pictured here admiring his mural, which he painted on a first floor wall of Hannah Hall. Samples' mural shows the artist sleeping on his desk after his mother died, dreaming and remembering moments from his life.
• Jesse Sifuentes and Earl Jones in the Ceramics Room
  Texas Southern art alumni Jesse Sifuentes and Earl Jones are pictured in this photograph from the mid 1970s. They are seen here in the ceramics room of the art center, seated in the trash cans where clay was stored.
• Shrine #2 Maquette Created by Harry Vital for Ceramics Class with Professor Carroll Harris Simms
  Vital's maquette appears to portray an intersex human-chicken hybrid, which displays both male and female sex organs. The artist adorned the sculpture with swirl embellishments, a common motif in TSU terracottas. Vital would go on to make a full-scale version of this sculpture.
• Exodus Third Ward Child
  Foster’s painting is inspired by Charles White’s Sound of Silence. Third Ward is the historically Black neighborhood of Houston that Texas Southern calls home. Where White’s original features a seashell, Foster substitutes a rowhouse, the style of homes that are the heart of Third Ward. John Biggers studied under White at Hampton University.
• Black & Beautiful
  This radiant work by Oliver Parson engulfs the viewer in the spiraling flow of a smiling woman's silky headwrap. The headwrap is a fashionable method of hair protection and expression of identity that is shared among women across the African diaspora.
• Architecture Terracotta
  Lacy’s terracotta tower sculpture features cut-outs throughout the body. The top bears an abstract, smiling face with conical ears. The work is decorated with spirals and rolled balls of clay, both of which are among the signature embellishments used by students of Professor Simms. Lacy features this sculpture prominently in her Hannah Hall mural.
• Self-portrait
  This sculpture is of an unknown figure. The sculpture 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. The design may have been inspired by Spiderman, who debuted in comics 8 years earlier.
• Self-portrait
  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 reptile within. Students were encouraged to adorn their self-portraits with additional embellishments.
• Shrine Maquette Created by Harry Vital for Ceramics Class with Professor Carroll Harris Simms
  Harry Vital’s maquette is similar to his shrine terracotta sculptures, made up of expressive layers. The base is flat with a rounded shoulder featuring circular windows and connected lines; there is a snail at the front. Upwards, the next layer's walls are closer connected with spiral cones extending outward. The top is a two-headed serpent-lizard.