Across Indiana
Defining and Recognizing "Black Art" with a Hoosier Artist
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Artist William Taylor examined “black art” and worked to elevate African American artists.
What precisely is "black art"? William Taylor, a former educator at Indiana University and a Hoosier artist himself, spent his career attempting to answer that question through is own art. He also spent his time ensuring that African American artists got the historical recognition they deserve. In 1993, Across Indiana producer Titus Rush interviewed William for more insights on his philosophy.
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Across Indiana is a local public television program presented by WFYI
Across Indiana
Defining and Recognizing "Black Art" with a Hoosier Artist
Clip | 5m 14sVideo has Closed Captions
What precisely is "black art"? William Taylor, a former educator at Indiana University and a Hoosier artist himself, spent his career attempting to answer that question through is own art. He also spent his time ensuring that African American artists got the historical recognition they deserve. In 1993, Across Indiana producer Titus Rush interviewed William for more insights on his philosophy.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipWilliam Taylor has yet to make up his mind as to the type he represents.
Over the years, his so-called id have evolved into creations in various media.
Take, for example, this wood scu currently on display at the Indiana State Museum.
It's a rendition of his wife.
I have a lot of ideas, and I haven't found that one vehicle to rest all of those ide So I do a serendipity thing.
I don't have a rule of thumb.
The piece, that the State Museum mine is a good example of something I started out doing And it comes out almost African, but that was not the intent.
Bill is a visual artist who works in several mediums, honing his ideals into unique interpretations.
This painting represents a trip to New York City.
He calls it Red Bridge Over Gree That was polluted.
I saw the pollution, and I've increased upon the poll But the on the other hand, the c I guess, is organized confusio that the New Yorker has there.
The buildings on top of buildin and narrow streets, the crowds.
And this is what I was trying to with the buildings with there ar there are little, little, signatures in there.
There's a cross in ther that shows you about the church.
There there are a lot of little It isn't it isn't just a quickie Look at and understand.
Bill Taylor has been at it now for several decades.
The type of Hoosier artist he re and just what his art really say may be debatable.
But one thing is for sure, Bill considers himself a producer of black art.
As a matter of fact, he is one of the state's leading authorities on that subj He teaches it at Indiana Univers and when asked to defin his field of study, Bill takes p Some people think that black art is is art that, shows the the the black community, the black s Other people say that that you'r but you're an artist.
And so your your creative juice run and flow and what comes out is black art.
Today, Bill's desire to perform and teach are secondary to his new mission.
Nowadays, he spends most of his as a researcher.
I have been I spent time in the of Congress at the Smithsonian, National Archives at the Indianapolis Museum of Ar Philadelphia Museum.
It's gotten to be, a passion.
He's hopeful that his countless of poring ove historical records will be fruit His goal is to bring the recogn of black artists into the mainst There's still not that much, ava The the art history books that are used at the university level in our history still have very littl on the African American visual a African art find African-America you know, very, very little.
Taylor is desirous that his research impac history.
First, we need to put history co So you need to have there needs to be a niche in history for these, people of color who have contrib but have been ignored.
You have Sa Gillam was was the first artist, to take the canvas ou of, out of the frame and drape i You have Bearden who has taken, Picasso in Braque's, collages.
He took it to a heigh that's never been been done befo So you have those people contrib but it's quietl and not talked about, for instan One of the major artists known in the country, John J. Autobahn, was Haitian.
His mother was Haitian.
His father was French.
Thereby the formula that was use For years to come, artist and laymen alik will continue to debate the ques regarding the makeup of black ar But in the meantime, Bill Taylo one Hoosier who intends to make that history bears no questions the black artists were.
For more Across Indiana stories, go to wfyi.org/acrossindiana
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