Ann Tanksley facts for kids

Ann Graves Tanksley, born in 1934, is a talented American artist. She creates beautiful art using oil paints, watercolors, and printmaking techniques. One of her most famous collections is inspired by the writings of Zora Neale Hurston, an important African-American writer. This collection has over 200 unique prints and paintings. It traveled around the United States from 1991 to 2010, letting many people see her amazing work.

Early Life and Education

Ann Graves Tanksley was born on January 25, 1934. She grew up in the Homewood area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ann loved art from a very young age. She remembers her kindergarten teacher helping her discover art. On her first day of school, the teacher gave her crayons and beads. This helped Ann feel calm and started her journey as an artist.

Ann finished South Hills High School in 1952. She then went to Carnegie Institute of Technology, which is now Carnegie Mellon University. In 1956, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Ann Tanksley's Art Career

After college, Ann married John Tanksley, who was also from Homewood. They moved to Brooklyn, New York. Ann decided to focus on raising her daughters first. Later, she began her full-time career as an artist.

Before becoming a full-time painter, Ann taught art. She was an art instructor at Queens Youth Center for the Arts from 1959 to 1962. She also taught at the Arts Center of Northern New Jersey in 1963. In 1971, she was a substitute art instructor at Malvern Public Schools. From 1973 to 1975, she was an art instructor at Suffolk County Community College.

Developing Her Artistic Skills

Ann continued to learn and grow as an artist throughout her early career. She studied at several places, including the Arts League of New York. She also attended The New School for Social Research, now called The New School.

She learned the monotype printmaking technique at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop. This technique became very important in her Zora Neale Hurston artworks. Ann also studied with famous artists like Norman Lewis (artist) and Balcomb Greene.

"Where We At: Black Women Artists"

Ann Tanksley was one of the first members of Where We At: Black Women Artists, Inc.. This was a group of women artists based in New York. Artists like Kay Brown and Faith Ringgold started the group.

The group helped bring attention to women artists of color. They held art shows and offered education programs. One of Ann's early group shows was "Cooking and Smokin" in 1972. This show was held at the Weusi-Nyumba Ya Sanaa Gallery in Harlem, New York.

The Zora Neale Hurston Collection

Ann Tanksley's art started getting more attention in the 1980s and 1990s. A big moment in her career was creating a large collection of art based on the writings of Zora Neale Hurston. This collection traveled across the United States for many years.

Ann discovered Hurston's book, Their Eyes Were Watching God, in the 1980s. She loved the book so much that she read many of Hurston's other works. Ann said she "immediately fell in love with her writing." She felt they had a lot in common as African-American artists.

Her interest in Hurston led her to create over 200 paintings and black-and-white monotypes. These artworks were all inspired by Hurston's stories. Ann felt a strong connection to Hurston, calling her a "Spiritual Sister" and a muse.

Ann Tanksley's Artistic Style

Ann Tanksley's art shows her unique way of seeing the world. Her work often reflects her travels and the simple beauty of everyday life. It also shows feelings of loneliness, love, and strong spiritual beliefs. Her paintings can make you feel a sense of spiritual awakening.

She uses bright, intense colors that show different moods, like joy and celebration. Even when colors are softer, there is always a feeling of hope for the future. Her art is about life being full of excitement, dedication, and survival.

Ann has a keen eye for shapes and styles. She has studied art from France and the Caribbean. She uses color, lines, and perspective to create powerful images. Her style often uses flat areas of bright color, which makes her lines and shapes stand out. This has led some to compare her work to artists like Paul Gauguin and Henri Matisse.

Ann's brushwork is often loose, which adds energy to her paintings. She uses techniques like glazing and quick charcoal lines. These methods help her express herself freely. Her art is guided by her personal feelings about the world around her.

Other Works and Collections

Ann Tanksley has illustrated several books for children. These include The Six Fools by Zora Neale Hurston, adapted by Joyce Carol Thomas (2006). She also illustrated My Heart Will Not Sit Down by Mara Rockliff (2012).

Her artwork is part of permanent collections in important museums. These include the Studio Museum in Harlem in New York. Her work is also at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. You can also find her art in private collections, like those of Vivian Hewitt and Oprah Winfrey.

Selected Solo Exhibitions

• Acts of Art Gallery, New York, New York, 1973, 1974.
• Spectrum II, Mount Vernon, New York, 1982.
• Dorsey Gallery, Brooklyn, New York, 1986.
• Berkeley Repertory Theater, Berkeley, California, 1991.
• California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland, California, 1991.
• SOHO20, New York, New York, 1993.
• Eatonville Museum, Eatonville, Florida, 1994.
• Maitland Center, Maitland, Florida, 1994.
• Stella Jones Gallery, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1997.
• Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar, 2004.
• Avisca Fine Art Gallery, Marietta, Ga, 2009.

Selected Group Exhibitions

• Acts of Art, New York, New York, 1971.
• University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 1981.
• American Women in Art, Nairobi, Kenya, 1985.
• Museum of African American Art, Los Angeles, California, 1992.
• National Arts Club, New York, New York, 1994.
• Kansas City Jazz Museum, Kansas City, Missouri, 1999.
• Hewitt Collection of African-American Art, Charlotte, North Carolina, 1999.
• Stamford Center for the Arts, Stamford, Connecticut, 2000.
• Connecticut Graphics Arts Center, Norwalk, Connecticut, 2001.
• August Wilson Center for African American Culture, Pittsburgh, PA, 2017.
• 73 See Gallery, Montclair, New Jersey, 2019.

Published Works Illustrated by Ann Tanksley

• The Six Fools by Zora Neale Hurston and adapted by Joyce Carol Thomas (HarperCollins, 2006)
• My Heart Will Not Sit Down by Mara Rockliff (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2012).

Ann Tanksley and her work have also been featured in several art books, including:

• The Art of Black American Women: Works of Twenty Four Artists of the Twentieth Century by Robert Henkes;
• Gumbo Ya Ya: Anthology of Contemporary African-American Women Artists by Leslie King-Hammond;
• Time Capsule: A Concise Encyclopedia of Women Artists by Robin Kahn;
• Forever Free: Art by African-American Women and Jewels: 50 Phenomenal Black Women Over Fifty by Michael Cunningham and Connie Briscoe.