Shirley Woodson

Shirley Woodson (born c. 1938[1]) is an American artist and educator known for creating paintings paintings of African American life. Her work is in the collections of the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and the Studio Museum in Harlem, among others. Woodson is the 2021 Kresge Eminent Artist.

Early life and education

Born circa 1938 in Pulaski, Tennessee,[2] Woodson has lived in Detroit since she was an infant. She earned her B.F.A. degree from Wayne State University in 1958 and her M.A. degree from there in 1966.[3]

Career

Woodson debuted her work in a show of Michigan artists at the Detroit Institute of Arts in 1960 the same year she started teaching in the Detroit Public Schools.[3] She then participated in an exhibition at the Academy of Arts and Letters in New York, the Oakland Museum in California, and other venues as far away as Dakar, Senegal, and Lagos, Nigeria, featuring in over 30 solo exhibitions.[4]

Woodson taught at Highland Park Community College in Highland Park, Michigan from 1966 to 1978. This was followed by work as an art specialist in Highland Park Schools from 1979 to 1992. Wookson returned to Detroit Public Schools as supervisor of fine arts from 1992 to 2008.[3]

In 1974, Woodson co-founded the Michigan chapter of the National Conference of Artists (NCA), the longest-running national arts organization dedicated to nurturing and promoting opportunities for Black visual artists. She retired from teaching in 2008[1] and continues to work with the NCA: She is an executive board member with the national organization and is the president of the Michigan chapter.

Woodson has influenced generations of Detroit artists. Painter, College of Creative Studies professor, and inaugural Kresge Artist Fellow Gilda Snowden (1954-2014) is one of many who benefitted from her mentorship and advocacy.[3]

Awards

Woodson won a MacDowell Fellowship in 1966[5] and was named the Kresge Eminent Artist in 2021.[6] Administered by the College for Creative Studies, this award honors one Detroit artist each year for professional achievements, cultural contributions, and commitment to the local arts community.[7]

Collections

Woodson’s paintings are in 22 collections including the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Museum of the National Center for Afro American Artists in Boston, Detroit Edison, the Toledo Art Commission, Florida A&M University, and Seagrams.

References
  1. 84-Year-Old Detroit Artist, Educator Honored With $50,000 Lifetime Achievement Award | WDET
  2. "Shirley Woodson: Detroit, MI". 44thpresident.us.
  3. Shirley Woodson - Kresge Arts in Detroit
  4. "Shirley Woodson". Sherry Arts LLC.
  5. Shirley Woodson - Artist - MacDowell
  6. Beloved Detroit artist Shirley Woodson selected as 2021 Kresge Eminent Artist - YouTube
  7. "Detroiter Charles McGee named first-ever Kresge Eminent Artist". The Kresge Foundation. May 4, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
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