Africana Artist-in-Residence to Engage Community on Art, Environment, Race

With a theme of “Art, Environment and Race,” this year’s Africana Artist-in-Residence Tommie Robinson will work with students and faculty from UNC Charlotte, along with the broader community.

Robinson will be in residence in the Africana Studies Department in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences from Monday, March 9, through Friday, March 20. His visit is co-sponsored with the College of Arts + Architecture and in collaboration with the Latibah Collard Green Museum. He will work with students throughout his residency, with workshops and presentations centered on the relationship between his art and issues related to the environment, race and social justice.

The university community and the general public also will have an opportunity to interact with Robinson during two free public presentations. They are:

• Thursday, March 19, 2 p.m., a presentation titled “The Art of Environment and Race,” Cone University Center, McKnight Hall, UNC Charlotte.
• Friday, March 20, 6 p.m., opening reception for Robinson’s exhibit “Environment and Social Justice,” the Latibah Collard Green Museum, 720 Tuckaseegee Road. The exhibit will be open until April 15.

As the first black artist in the Guild of Charlotte Artists, Robinson works in oil, acrylic, water color, egg tempura and graphite. His art addresses a wide range of issues, from the experience of the Africa-descended population in the United States to urban life, the environment, racism and sexism. His

Robinson says his interest in art began at age 8 as part of the grieving process when his father died. He recalls finally getting a likeness in his early teens.

He joined the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and was stationed in Germany. Upon his honorable discharge, Robinson enrolled at Central Piedmont Community College in 1969 on the GI Bill to pursue an arts degree. He had thought to become a sign painter, but his plans changed as CPCC hired him to teach painting and ceramics part-time.

Since then, Robinson has exhibited nationally. In Charlotte, his paintings have been displayed at the Mint Museum, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, the McColl Center for Art + Innovation and Spirit Square. His work also has been shown at UNC Chapel Hill, Pfeiffer College, Johnson C. Smith University, Davidson College and North Carolina Central University. The Gantt Center honored him in 2011 for his work.

Long-time friend and fellow artist T.J. Reddy, the inaugural Africana Artist-in-Residence, has described Robinson as “one of the most competent, capable and consistent artists I know.”  Robinson has created two-story murals in the Bobcats Arena and a set of murals at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, along with works for other businesses and government entities.

Starting in 2009, the Africana Studies Department has collaborated with the College of Arts + Architecture, with support from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, to sponsor the Africana Artist-in-Residence program. Its goal is to showcase the work of artists whose original perspectives and creative energy advance a deep understanding of the experiences of Africana people worldwide. Past artists include Reddy, visual artist and civil rights activist (2009); Tayo Aluko, an award-winning performer known for his work on Paul Robeson (2010); dancer John Perpener III (2011); illustrator Barbara Higgins Bond (2012); master woodcarver Kasali Akangbe (2013); and baritone Emery Stephens (2014).