Artis Lane

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Artis Lane
Lane at the unveiling of her bust of Sojourner Truth at the U.S. Capitol
Born
Artis Shreve

1927 (age 96–97)
North Buxton, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian American
EducationOntario College of Art, Cranbrook Academy of Art
Known forPortrait artist, sculptor, painter
Notable workPortrait of Sojourner Truth, Emancipation Hall, Capitol Visitor Center
WebsiteThe Work of Artis Lane

Artis Lane (born Artis Shreve) is a Black Canadian sculptor and painter. Her bronze bust of Sojourner Truth is on display in Emancipation Hall at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C. It was unveiled in 2009, and was the first statue in the Capitol to represent an African-American woman. Lane's sculpture of Rosa Parks is on display in the Oval Office of President Biden.[1][2][3]

Personal life[edit]

Artis Lane was born in North Buxton, a small town near Chatham in Ontario, Canada,[4] in a community largely populated by the descendants of slaves who emigrated to Canada on the Underground Railroad. At two years old her family moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she started developing her interests in drawing and painting. Upon graduating high school, she received a scholarship to attend the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, Ontario. After receiving her degree, she moved to Detroit, Michigan, newly married to her husband, journalist Bill Lane. While there, she continued her education at the Cranbrook Academy of Art.[5]

Artistic career[edit]

The St. James Guide to Black Artists describes Artis Lane's sculpture as "primarily concerned with portraying what she sees as enduring spiritual truths. These truths are that the growth of spiritual awareness is continuous and that nobody ever arrives at perfection. In addition, spiritual awareness connects humans with a universal force."[6]

Bust of Sojourner Truth (2009)

Lane works in a variety of mediums, including sketching, oil painting, bronze sculpture, and collage.[7] Her works include a bronze portrait of Rosa Parks for the Smithsonian Institution, which has been on display at the National Portrait Gallery, but also on display in the Oval Office of President Biden.[1][2][3] In 1999, she designed Rosa Parks' Congressional Medal of Honor.[4][8][9] In 2021, Collected Detroit gallery hosted "Steps Towards Justice" featuring portaints of Rosa Parks by Lane.[2][3]

She also produced a series of bronze portraits for the Soul Train Awards, and designed the original logo for the Dance Theatre of Harlem. She has made portraits and sculptures of celebrities and prominent people such as Cary Grant, Armand Hammer, Nancy Kissinger, Coleman Young, Barbara Bush and former President George H. W. Bush, Bill Cosby, Walter Annenberg, Michael Jordan, Gordon Getty, Nelson Mandela and Henry Kissinger.[7][10]

The National Congress of Black Women commissioned Lane to create a bronze bust portraying women's-right advocate and abolitionist Sojourner Truth.[4] The bust was unveiled on April 28, 2009 by First Lady Michelle Obama for permanent display in the Emancipation Hall at the Capitol Visitor Centre,[11] making Truth the first black woman to be honored with a bust at the U.S. Capitol.

Awards and honors[edit]

In 2007, the California African American Museum presented Lane with a Lifetime Achievement Award, and featured a retrospective of her work.[4]

Lane was honoured in 2013 as a recipient of the Women's Caucus for Art Lifetime Achievement Award.[12]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Cascone, Sarah (January 21, 2021). "We Decode the New Art Biden Just Installed in the Oval Office, From a Bust of Cesar Chavez to a Calming Childe Hassam Painting". Artnet News. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Art supports social justice in Detroit show of Rosa Parks works by Artis Lane, 94". Deadline Detroit. September 10, 2021. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Feighan, Maureen (September 10, 2021). "Friends and icons: New exhibition features Detroit sculptor's works of Rosa Parks". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Bloomekatz, Ari B (April 28, 2009). "L.A. artist's 'Truth' to be unveiled". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  5. ^ Feighan, Maureen (June 2, 2022). "Trailblazing sculptor, painter Artis Lane depicts beauty in every shade". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  6. ^ Hanks, Eric (1997). "Artis Lane (From St. James Guide to Black Artists)". M. Hanks Gallery. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
  7. ^ a b Donohue, Marlena (July 2, 1990). "Artis Lane: The Universality Of Sculpture". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  8. ^ "Meet the Artists". U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. July 14, 2020. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  9. ^ Roth, Rebecca (June 15, 1999). "Rosa Parks at her Congressional Gold Medal ceremony with (left to right) Representative Julia Carson, holding a picture of the medal; assistant Elaine Steele, Representative Dennis Hastert, artist Artis Lane, who designed the medal; and President Bill Clinton]". Library of Congress (Photograph). Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  10. ^ Artis Lane bio, Artislane.com
  11. ^ "Sojourner Truth Bust". Architect of the Capitol. 2009. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  12. ^ "Past Awards & Catalogs". Women's Caucus for Art. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2014.

Further reading[edit]

  • Lewis, Samella, African American Art and Artists (Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 2003), pp. 216–217
  • Gumbo YaYa: An Anthology of Contemporary African American Women Artists (New York: Mid March Arts Press, 1995)

External links[edit]

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