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Painter, printmaker, and scholar J. 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. Grigsby also studied at the American Artists School, New York City, and the École des Beaux-Arts de Marseilles, France. 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. He was known for initiating art programs in community centers, housing projects, and daycare centers in the Phoenix area and for serving on the boards of several organizations including the National Art Education Association and the Committee on Minority Concerns.