Eugene Grigsby

Painter, printmaker, and scholar Jefferson Eugene Grigsby was born in Greensboro, NC. He earned a BA from Morehouse College, Atlanta, an MA from Ohio State University, Columbus, and a PhD in art education from New York University, New York City. Grigsby also studied at the American Artists School, New York City, and the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Marseille, France. His work is noted for its energy, brilliance, and captivating sense of African American religion and spirituality and its evocation of the warmth of the ethnic family.

After five decades on the faculty of Arizona State University, Tempe, Grigsby retired as professor emeritus. He was the first Black author and artist to publish a book for art educators, Art & Ethnics: Background for Teaching Youth in a Pluralistic Society (1977). He was known for initiating art programs in community centers, housing projects, and daycare centers in the Phoenix area.

Receiver of countless awards and distinctions, including recognition by many leading art and African-American publications, Grigsby was the subject of solo exhibitions and his work was featured in numerous group exhibitions throughout the United States. His work is in the permanent collection of the Cape Coast Castle Museum, Ghana, and public collections in Arizona and other U.S. states. 
—From Brandywine Workshop and Archives records with excerpts from https://emerituscollege.asu.edu/eugene-grigsby, accessed 9-15-2021

Artist Info


Born

1918

Greensboro, NC

Died

June 9, 2013

Gender

Male

Nationality

American

Heritage

African American

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