John Biggers

John Biggers

John Thomas Biggers is considered a genius in African American art. He expressed his art in many different forms, including poetry, sculpture, illustrations, paintings and murals. He is most famous for his paintings and murals.

Biggers made large contributions to African American art, the development of African American Artists, black communities in general, and American art, all over the united states. He was recruited to develop the Art department at Texas State University in Houston. He is also partly responsible for the demolish of the segregation rules of the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. (Vordees, 1997) Also, Some of his work was used as a starting point for the design of the set for the play "Oak and Ivy" after his death. These are only a few examples of his contributions to African American arts. The intention of this paper is to explore the life of John Biggers and verify the claim that he is truly a genius in African American art.

John Thomas Biggers was born in Gastonia, NC, on April 13, 1924, to Paul Biggers and Cora Fingers Biggers. John was the seventh and youngest child in the Biggers family. He married Hazel Hales in 1948. After a childhood surrounded by segregation and predjudice, John turned to art to express his feelings. His life was dedicated to portraying the beauty of the African American Heritage through his art. He died on January 25, 2001 in Houston, Texas at age 76.

Biggers grew up during the time of racial segregation. This segregation is portrayed in his work early in his career. The paintings of his first ten years as an artists express the anger and hostility he felt toward the world.

Biggers did not always aspire to be an artist. He graduated from Lincoln Academy in Kings Mountain, NC. and went on to attend the Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in Hampton, VA. His plans were to become a plumber. In the course of his first two years of college, Biggers turned his attention toward art. In his sophmore year, his art teacher, Victory Lowenfeld, convinced him to change his major. (Voorhees, 1997) He continued his education of art by achieving a Masters in art education from Penn Sate University in 1948. He later received a doctorate in art education from Penn State in 1954. (Internet)

John moved to Houston, Texas in 1949. He began working at Texas State University (TSU), which was known then as the Texas State University for Negroes, where he was recruited to develop an Art department. (Voorhees, 1997) During his time at TSU, Biggers received two awards from the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. In 1950, he won the Purchase Prize and in 1951, the Schlumberger Prize. (Internet) He was unable to attend the ceremony to accept his award since blacks were not allowed in the Texas Museums. (Vorhees, 1997)

Biggers influenced his students for many generations. He taught at TSU for 35 years before retiring in 1983. During this time, he traveled to Africa, wrote a book, painted several murals and won numerous awards. (Vorhees, 1997) His students were inspired by his dedication to his work and by his teaching that art was a reflection of the artist's feelings and experiences.

Biggers was one of the first African American artists to travel to Africa. He and his wife went to Africa in 1957 to find the history of the African American traditions. His work after his return to the United States began to express a sense of power. His art started to balance the lives of African Americans with their heritage from Africa. He also began to connect with nature and portrayed these connections through his work.

Although John was most famous for his murals, he also wrote and co-authored two books. In 1962, Biggers wrote "Ananse: The Web of Life in Africa." This book was written after Biggers visited Africa. Published during the civil rights movement, this book aided in teaching African Americans about their heritage. It also helped its readers to learn how to take pried in their ancestry. (Unknown, 1996) He was co-author of "Black Art in Houston" in 1978.

One of the last murals John created was the "Celebration of Life" in Minneapolis in 1996. He assisted 17 other artists in the creation of this mural on a freeway wall in North Minneapolis. "Celebration of Life" was painted to portray the creativity and spiritual balance of the African folk symbols. The mural became a landmark of Minneapolis. (Kumar, 2001) This mural has since been removed, but the legacy that it left behind has paved the way for the generations of artists who will continue to create wonderful pieces of art in Minneapolis, starting with the commissioning