BennyANDREWS(1930-2006)Benny Andrews was born in Plainview, Georgia, the youngest often children in a family of sharecroppers. Despite education beingdiscouraged beyond seventh grade, Andrews’ mother struck adeal with the landowners that enabled Benny to attend schoolwhen not working the cotton fields. Following service in Korea asan Air Force staff sergeant, Andrews attended the School of theArt Institute of Chicago, training in abstract expressionism, andthen moved on to New York City where he initially went to workdesigning Christmas cards at the Metropolitan Museum of Art tosupport his family.A self-described “people’s painter,” Andrews is known for hisexpressive, figurative paintings that often incorporated collagedfabric and other material. Andrews painted scenes from hisneighborhood and local coffee shops and jazz clubs. Much of hiswork also provides social commentary on the struggles, atrocities,and everyday life in Black communities.BENNY ANDREWSOTHER DESIRED WORKSWe admired Benny Andrews early, but much of hiswork is just too big for us. But we found an earlyone which leans right into the exhibition, it being arepresentation of a group touring an exhibition space.We would like to have an Alma Thomas. We wouldlike to have a Norman Lewis. We would even like toperhaps have a good representation by John Biggers.Now you can hardly buy a Norman Lewis or an AlmaThomas. They are very expensive. I’m sorry thatwe didn’t pick them up earlier, but that’s the wayit goes. We have begun to acquire in this area ofAfrican American art a lot. We are always interestedin some of the more popular artists working today,but right now we are particularly enthusiastic aboutearlier African American artists who are long lessrecognized and consistently underrepresented.In 1968, he began teaching at Queens College in New York, withmuch of his life thereafter being marked by participation in majorexhibitions featuring his work. He also devoted much time andenergy to supporting underrepresented populations. Andrewsstarted a program to help youth in underserved communitiesprepare for college, a program that used art to deter gangviolence, and a program that used art as a rehabilitative tool in aNew York prison — the latter of which eventually was expandedto a national level. He later led a program with the NationalEndowment for the Arts to enable artists to obtain healthinsurance and, just prior to his death in 2006, he was workingwith children displaced by Hurricane Katrina.Interesting Andrews Fact:Prior to enrolling at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Benny Andrews had never been in a museum.| 38–Susan S. and David R. Goode
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