Aminah Robinson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Aminah Robinson
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| Born |
Brenda Lynn Robinson
February 18, 1940 |
| Died | May 22, 2015 (aged 75) Columbus, Ohio
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Columbus College of Art and Design |
| Awards | MacArthur Fellows Program |
Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson (born February 18, 1940 – died May 22, 2015) was an amazing American artist. She used her art to tell important stories about Black history.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Aminah Robinson was born in Columbus, Ohio, on February 18, 1940. Her parents were Leroy Edward Robinson and Helen Elizabeth Zimmerman-Robinson. She grew up in a strong community called Poindexter Village. This was one of the first housing areas in the country built with government help.
Family and Inspiration
Poindexter Village was full of Black cultural traditions. People shared stories, respected elders, and encouraged creativity. Aminah learned many stories about Black history from a young age. She wanted to share these stories with everyone. Her Aunt Annie, who had been enslaved, taught her about the difficult times of slavery.
Her family was very important to Aminah's identity. Her parents, Leroy and Helen, were both artists. Her father encouraged her to draw when she was only three years old. He also made sure she learned about her history from older people in the community. He told her to listen to music, read books, and create art every single day.
Aminah's father taught her how to use natural materials. He showed her old ways of working with things like rabbit-skin glue and different colored natural paints. He even taught her about his own special mud-like material called HawgMawg. Aminah often used HawgMawg in her art. Her mother taught her how to sew and weave. These skills helped Aminah add depth and layers to her artwork.
Art as Communication
Art was Aminah's first way to express herself. She didn't start speaking until she was five or six years old. Before that, she communicated only through drawing. By age nine, Aminah was already focused on "transforming and recording the culture of [her] people into works of art." She spent her whole life doing this. She always kept sketchbooks, journals, and drawings. This helped her remember the information that inspired her art.
Formal Education
Aminah went to the Columbus Art School from 1957 to 1960. She continued to live and work in Columbus. Later, she studied art history and philosophy at Ohio State University (from 1960 to 1963). She also studied at Franklin University and Bliss College in Columbus.
In 1974, she bought a house on the East Side of Columbus. This house became her art studio.
Aminah's Artwork
Aminah Robinson's art always had a strong connection to history or a specific place. She created many different types of art. These included drawings, woodcuts, and complex sculptures.
Memory Maps and RagGonNons
Her "Memory Maps" were multi-media artworks made from fabric panels. They showed ideas and symbols of Africa. These maps represented Africa as a source of culture and inspiration. They also showed how African traditions traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas.
Aminah also illustrated children's books. She wanted to inspire and teach young people. She created unique pieces called RagGonNons. These were long pieces of fabric filled with many different materials. The name "RagGonNon" hinted at their extreme length, meaning they "ragged on and on." The longest RagGonNon was 118 feet long and weighed 200 pounds! Some of these artworks took decades to finish. For example, the Water Street RagGonNon took 25 years. It showed African Americans living their daily lives in downtown Columbus.
Telling Stories Through Art
Aminah created art to fill in the missing parts of Black history. Many stories were lost during slavery. Her art focused on the "African experience." It showed the strength and determination of her ancestors. Her work was based on Sankofa. This is an African idea about learning from the past to make progress for the future.
Aminah worked hard for the civil rights movement in the 1950s. She also took part in the 1963 March on Washington. This march supported rights for African Americans.
Art Materials
Aminah used many different materials in her art. These included various fabrics, snakeskin, buttons, and her special HawgMawg. HawgMawg was a sculptural material made from mud, pig grease, glue, twigs, and lime. It gave her sculptures a "petrified quality," meaning they looked like stone. She used beads and shells to show connections to Black history. She even added music boxes into her RagGonNons to make them come alive. Aminah's use of recycled materials was both good for the environment and practical.
Artistic Influences
Aminah Robinson had a very strong and unique personality. She was proud of who she was. Deidre Hamlar, from the Columbus Museum of Art, said that Aminah was different. While many Black people were trying to fit in, Aminah was always true to herself.
A friend and fellow artist, Kojo Kamau, encouraged Aminah to travel to Africa. He helped raise money for her trip. In 1979, during her trip to Africa, Aminah was given the name "Aminah" by an Egyptian religious leader. This name comes from "Aamina," the mother of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. She legally changed her name in 1980. Aminah felt that traveling helped her grow as a person and as an artist.
Aminah's dedication to her art influenced everything in her life. Her tools and art supplies filled every room in her house. She worked all day, every day. She would wake up with the sun and work late into the night. She only slept a few hours before starting again.
Awards and Achievements
In 1984, Aminah received the Ohio Governor's Award for the Visual Arts. In 2004, she won the MacArthur Genius Grant. This award celebrates artists who show themes of family, ancestry, and the beauty of simple objects in their art.
Her artwork has been shown in many places. These include the Columbus Museum of Art, the Tacoma Art Museum, and the Brooklyn Museum. Before 2002, Aminah had nearly 200 solo and group art shows. In 2002, the Columbus Museum of Art held a special show called "Symphonic Poem: The Art of Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson."
Later Life and Legacy
On May 22, 2015, Aminah Robinson passed away from a heart problem. She left all her belongings to the Columbus Museum of Art. The museum started the "Aminah Robinson Legacy project." This project continues to share her amazing artwork. As part of the project, the museum turned her house into a place where Black artists can live and create art.
