The Gifted Hands Of Sculptor William Artis

William Ellisworth Artis was born on February 2, 1914, and he was an African American sculptor, whose favorite medium was clay. The freedom of modeling gave him a broad range of expression. During the latter part of his life, he began to focus on potting.

He was born in Washington, NC, but as a teen, he moved to New York 1927.
He taught at the Harlem YMCA after finishing high school, then was involved with Works Progress Administration's artists project.

He studied sculpture and pottery and was a student at Augusta Savage Studios in the early 1930s and was a part of the Harmon Foundation exhibition in 1933. He was featured in the 1930s film A Study of Negro Artists, along with Savage and other artists associated with the Harlem Renaissance, including Richmond Barthé, James Latimer Allen, Palmer Hayden, Aaron Douglas, William Ellisworth Artis, William Ellisworth Artis, Lois Mailou Jones, and Georgette Seabrooke.

He received the John Hope Prize, which led to a scholarship at the Art Students League in 1933-34. Artis was hired by Audrey McMahon, the director of the College Art Association, along with several other artists to teach crafts and paint murals in churches and community centers.
From 1941 to 1945, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war, he earned his academic degrees.

In 1950 he received his Bachelors in Fine Arts, and in 1951 his Masters in Fine Arts from Syracuse University, where he studied with the sculptor Ivan Mestrovic. After leaving Syracuse, he taught at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

In 1945, Artis, with fellow artist Romare Bearden and Selma Burke, were together in the landmark Albany Institute of History and Art exhibit and over the next decade found the black artist making inroads in national exhibits and major galleries.

From 1956 to 1966 he was Professor of Ceramics at Nebraska Teachers College after which he was Professor of Art at Mankato State College until 1975. Artis died in 1977. During this time a joint retrospective exhibition with his works was held in 1971 at Fisk University. He is also featured in Against the Odds, an exhibition of African American Artists from the Harmon Foundation.

His works can also be found at Atlanta University, the Whitney Museum, the Two Centuries of Black American Art exhibited and collected by Fisk University, Hampton University, the North Carolina Museum of Art, and private collectors.

Source: African American Registry
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William Ellisworth Artis (February 2, 1914 – April 3, 1977)[1][2]

Artis was an African American sculptor active from the Harlem Renaissance until his death.[3][4][5] His favorite medium was clay for its ability to provide a broad range of expression. He dabbled in oil painting and, during the latter part of his life, began to focus on potting.[5] His art style focused on representations of Black features and "figurative tradition".[4][5][6]

Early life
Artis was born in Washington, North Carolina to Elizabeth Davis and Thomas Midgett. He and his older half-brother, Warren Allen Davis, were raised on a farm by their great grandmother, Liza Lane.[4] He became interested in pottery in part due to playing with local red clay deposits. One day during Boy Scouts, he sculpted a hand from local clay and brought it to school the next day, impressing his class.[4][7]

In 1927, he moved to Harlem, New York largely due to the Great Migration.[2][4][8][9] He lived with his mother, brother, stepfather George Artis, and grandmother Elva Lane. Unlike his brother, he claimed his stepfather’s surname.[4]

Education and career
Artis graduated from Frederick Douglass Junior High School 139 in 1932 and from Haaren High School in 1936, majoring in the arts. He was a pupil of Augusta Savage as a teenager. In high school, he presented in the Harmon Foundation 1933 exhibition with Head of a Girl. This earned him the $100 John Hope prize, a mention in Time magazine, and a full-ride scholarship for a year at Art Student League.[3][4][5][6][7][10] He studied under Robert Laurent during that time.[4]

After, Audrey McMahon hired him for the College Art Association to teach crafts and paint communal spaces.[2][3] He was featured in the 1930s film, A Study of Negro Artists, along with Savage and other artists associated with the Harlem Renaissance.[10][11] He taught at the Harlem YMCA after finishing high school,[4][5] before joining with Works Progress Administration artist projects, such as with Harmon Foundation and Rosenwald Fund.[4][5] He was also under the tutelage of Roberta Laber from 1936 to 1938, and Maude Robinson in 1938. Between 1933 to 1940, he was involved in over 14 exhibitions.[4]

From the late 1930s until 1941, he lived with Langston Hughes and two others.[4][7] In the summers of 1940, ‘46, and ‘47, Artis pursued education as a special student and eventual instructor at New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.[4][8]

He closed his studio near Apollo Theatre upon being drafted into World War II.[1][4] After being discharged from his U.S. army service in Europe, he resumed his art. In 1945, Artis, Romare Bearden, and Selma Burke were in the landmark Albany Institute of History and Art exhibit. Over the next decade, they helped advance Black representation in national exhibits and galleries.[5] In 1946, he received a Harmon Foundation grant to teach a four-day ceramics class at twenty Philadelphia schools.[4]

Soon after, he pursued higher education at Syracuse University. Artis earned a Bachelor in Fine Arts in 1950. A year later, he graduated with a Master in Fine Arts. He studied under Ivan Meštrović.[2][3][4][5][8][9] He taught at Holy Rosary School at Pine Ridge Reservation in North Dakota because of his interest in Sioux culture, where he taught pottery production for two years.[4][5][8]

In 1954, he was hired by Bill Boehle as a ceramic associate professor at Nebraska State Teachers College.[3][4][5][7][8][9] Artis is cited as a popular professor for his efforts in creatively pushing his students and uncovering their strengths.[4][7][8] In 1959, he defended a modern mural on campus as environmental symbolism, helping it remain for 25 years after controversy.[8]

He eventually sought new creative career endeavors, becoming an art associate professor at Mankato State College from 1966 until 1975, stopping due to ill health.[2][3][4][5][8][9] His goal was to study local clay deposits and share with the local Native American tribes to highlight a resource for economic development.[4]

He received many accolades during his decades long artistic career. His work was found in schools such as Atlanta University, Fisk University, Hampton University, and Chadron State College along with museums like Whitney Museum of American Art, North Carolina Museum of Art, Smithsonian Institution, and Joslyn Art Museum.[2][3][4][8] Many of his pieces are still in private collections and copyrighted.[2][6] In the 1950s and ‘60s, he won Atlanta’s National Art Exhibition multiple times for his African American terra cotta sculptures.[8]

Personal life
From 1941 to 1945, Artis served in the Army as staff sergeant of the 366th Infantry Regiment.[3][4][7] During his tour in Bari, Italy, his sculpture of two Italian children won the $100 prize in the American Red Cross Club’s art exhibition against fellow artist soldiers. Other notable works during his service include portraits of his infantry officers.[4]

He was described as a short and reserved man with a great sense of humor, generosity, and knowledgeability.[4][7][8]

He commonly wore a white shirt, tie, and smock when working.[8]

His ancestors were freed Black people and Blackfoot Natives.[4][7]

Artis never married[4] or learned to drive.[8]

A core family value taught by Artis was the importance of education.[4]

He commonly signed his work but rarely dated the pieces.[4]

He belonged to the American Ceramic Society, New York Society of Craftsmen, and New York Society of Ceramic Art.[4]

Death and legacy
Artis died in North Port, New York on April 3, 1977.[5][8] It is believed he was battling a brain tumor.[4][8]

He was considered a prominent Black sculptor and ceramist whose art was displayed nationally. It has been theorized[according to whom?] that Chadron State College has the most extensive inventory of his work, with at least 25 donated and saved pieces, correspondences, and photos.[9] There, his works are exampled in courses, displayed on campus, and loaned to exhibitions.[8][9]

He is said to have impacted many people's lives due to his artistic guidance.[4][8]

Posthumously, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from North Carolina Central University, which was given to his brother.[4][7] Since 2005–2006, a scholarship at Chadron State College was set up in his name for visual arts majors.[8] Artis was reported to be featured in at least twenty books, and commonly appears in Black art history.[9]

Source: Wikipedia