Arnold J. Kemp facts for kids

Arnold J. Kemp is an American artist who creates amazing works using paint, prints, sculptures, and even poetry! He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He studied art at Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and later at Stanford University.

Arnold J. Kemp has lived and worked in many different places. From 1991 to 2005, he lived in San Francisco, California. There, he showed his art and also helped choose art for shows at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. He has also been a professor and leader at art schools like the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Today, he is the Dean of Graduate Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

What Kind of Art Does Arnold J. Kemp Make?

Arnold J. Kemp's art often explores interesting ideas. In 2001, he showed his work in New York at the Studio Museum's "Freestyle" exhibition. This show was important because it explored how Black artists were moving beyond old labels. More recently, in 2022, Kemp showed new art in Chicago. These works continued to explore themes like masking and using aluminum foil.

You can find Arnold J. Kemp's important artworks in many famous museums. Some of these include the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Studio Museum in Harlem, The Berkeley Art Museum, and The Portland Art Museum. His art is also in the Tacoma Art Museum and the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College.

Arnold J. Kemp has won many special awards for his art. In 2012, he received a Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. He has also won awards from the Joan Mitchell Foundation, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, and others. These awards help artists continue to create new and exciting work.

Why Does Arnold J. Kemp Use Aluminum Foil?

For Arnold J. Kemp, aluminum foil is a very important material. It might seem like a simple kitchen item, but it's also used in factories. It's shiny, crinkly, and you can shape it easily. Kemp sees it as a way to show how our minds work.

Many of his artworks made with foil look like "masks." These are pieces of foil with strange holes that look like eyes and mouths. They can make you feel like you're looking into a different time or space. Kemp also uses foil to protect important ideas. He sees it as a way to hide or trick bad things like violence. It helps him protect what he cares about most: art, love, Black identity, anger, and fairness.

Sometimes, Kemp takes color photos of these foil artworks. In these photos, the foil fills the whole picture. The dark holes look like openings, making you wonder if they are connected to a body or a spirit. He makes these photos in different sizes, some as tall as a mirror. When they are big, the foil patterns look like a field of light, broken up by the dark, mysterious holes.

Where Has Arnold J. Kemp's Art Been Shown?

Arnold J. Kemp's art has been displayed in many galleries and museums around the world. Here are some of his past exhibitions:

• KSMOCA, Portland, OR (2019)
• Fourteen 30 Contemporary, Portland, OR (2018)
• May 68/Martos Gallery, New York, NY (2018)
• Biquini Wax, Mexico City, Mexico (2017)
• Iceberg Projects, Chicago, IL (2017)
• Cherry & Lucic, Portland, OR (2016)
• Soloway, Brooklyn, NY (2015)
• PDX Contemporary, Portland, OR (2009 & 2010)
• Patricia Sweetow Gallery, San Francisco (2009)
• Envoy, New York (2008)
• TBA Festival/ Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, Portland, Oregon (2007)
• Stephen Wirtz Gallery, San Francisco (2006)
• Quotidian Gallery, San Francisco (2002)
• Debs & Co., New York (2001)
• ESP, San Francisco (1998)