Dan Concholar facts for kids

Dan Concholar (born May 23, 1939 – died February 1, 2017) was an American artist and organizer. He was known for his paintings and for helping other artists. Dan studied art at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. His teacher there was the famous artist Charles White.

Concholar was very active in the art world. He worked in Los Angeles during the 1970s and later in New York City in the 1980s. His art was shown in a big exhibition called "Dig This!: Art and Black Los Angeles 1960–1980." This show was first at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles and then traveled to MoMA P.S.1 in New York City in 2012.

Early Life and Art Studies

Dan Concholar was born on May 23, 1939, in San Antonio, Texas. His father, Alvin Dorsey, was a Black cowboy. His mother was Rubena Concholar. Dan had six brothers and sisters. In the 1940s, his family moved to Phoenix.

Later, Dan moved to Los Angeles to live with his sister and finish high school. He studied for one year at Phoenix College. Then, he returned to Los Angeles to attend the Otis Art Institute. There, he learned from the well-known painter Charles White. Charles White was a very important influence on Dan's art. Dan also met other artists like David Hammons, John Riddle, and Timothy Washington, who inspired him.

Artistic Journey and Community Work

Early in his career, Dan Concholar was inspired by art styles like Impressionism and Abstract Expressionism. These styles use colors and shapes to show feelings rather than exact pictures. While he was creating his own art, he also became involved in important social movements of the 1960s.

Around 1969, Dan joined the Black Arts Council (BAC) in Los Angeles. This group helped share information about art and worked to make the art of Black artists more famous. Because of their efforts, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art held three big exhibitions focusing on Black artists in the early 1970s. These shows helped many talented artists get noticed.

Dan Concholar showed his art in Los Angeles galleries like Brockman Gallery and Gallery 32. He also led the Watts Towers Art Center, which is a famous art space. In 1980, his friend David Hammons encouraged him to move to New York City.

In New York, Dan met Linda Goode Bryant, who started the Just Above Midtown Gallery (JAM). Many artists from Los Angeles, like Hammons, Senga Nengudi, Maren Hassinger, and Houston Conwill, also moved to New York and showed their work at JAM. Dan began working at the gallery and also exhibited his own art there. He continued to help other artists by directing the Art Information Center in the 1980s. This organization helped artists find galleries to show their work. He also worked with the Foundation for the Community of Artists.

The Suitcase Installation

For the "Dig This!: Art and Black Los Angeles 1960–1980" exhibition, Dan Concholar showed a special art piece. It was a suitcase that Charles White had given him. Dan had found it at the Just Above Midtown Gallery. He filled the suitcase with his own personal items, like bills, magazines, his afro pick, and old ticket stubs from museums in Los Angeles. The suitcase also contained art by two other artists, Ruth Waddy and George Clack.

A writer named Jillian Steinhauer called this piece "a microcosm of the entire show." She meant that the suitcase showed a small example of everything the exhibition was about. She said the exhibition was "so good — so well-curated, so full of fantastic art, so revelatory — that it was worth bringing to New York no matter what."

Dan Concholar's art can be found in important collections, including the Mott-Warsh Collection.

Later Life and Passing

Dan Concholar later moved to Nevada City, California. His daughter, Leslie, and her family cared for him there. Six years later, he moved to a care facility in Grass Valley. He passed away on February 1, 2017.

In his obituary, The Arizona Republic newspaper reported that Dan Concholar often said, "The art world is racist, sexist, elitist, and completely wonderful!" This quote shows his strong feelings about the art world, both its challenges and its beauty.