Happy Black History Month!
The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will be highlighting trailblazers from the black community that have left their mark in the 518!
This week, we’re celebrating Mary Edmonia Wildfire Lewis, a sculptor and Greenbush (now Rensselaer) native.
- She was the first African American and Native American sculptor to gain international acclaim.
- Her father was Haitian and her mother was Ojibwe, “Chippewa.”
- She lived in Boston, London, Florence and Rome, sculpting her most prominent marble works in Rome.
- Her sculptures can be found at the Howard University Gallery of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Detroit Institute of Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Baltimore Museum of Art.
- In January, the USPS honored her with a stamp in their Black Heritage Series.
“I was practically driven to Rome in order to obtain the opportunities for art culture and to find a social atmosphere where I was not constantly reminded of my color. The land of liberty had not room for a colored sculptor.”
~Mary Edmonia Wildfire Lewis
Here’s a link to a video detailing more about Lewis’ life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF0Tc3_bpoQ
Be sure to check out ODEI’s Facebook (@HVCCODEI) and Instagram (@hvcc_odei) throughout the month where we’ll continue to celebrate black history!
In solidarity,
Kayla Miller
Technical Assistant
Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
k.miller1@hvcc.edu
Published: Tue, 08 Feb 2022 13:10:16 +0000 by k.miller1