David Huffman (artist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Huffman
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| Born | 1963 (age 61–62) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | California College of the Arts (MFA) |
| Known for | contemporary art, painting |
| Style | abstraction, figuration |
| Movement | Afrofuturism |
David Huffman, born in 1963, is an American artist. He is famous for his paintings and art installations. His art often mixes ideas from science fiction with important messages about identity and society.
Contents
About David Huffman
Early Life and Learning
David Huffman grew up in Berkeley, California. His mother, Dolores Davis, was an activist in the 1960s. She helped with many local causes, including the Black Panther Party. This group worked for civil rights and equality. She even designed their famous 'Free Huey' flag.
From a young age, David loved science fiction. He watched TV shows like Star Trek, Astroboy, and Shogun Warriors. These shows helped shape his artistic ideas.
He studied art in New York and San Francisco. He earned his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from the California College of Arts and Crafts.
What His Art Is About
David Huffman creates art that tells stories. He says he looks at events from history and today. He combines these events with his own ideas about conflict, discovery, fear, and finding solutions.
His artworks often mix different things. He uses images from pop culture from different times. He also explores how paint works on a canvas. He brings in ideas from science fiction and identity politics. This means he looks at how people see themselves and how society sees them, especially about race.
In his early art, Huffman created figures he called "traumanauts." These were African-American space travelers. They explored strange, futuristic places. His paintings showed cosmic dust and damaged environments.
Later, Huffman continued to explore ideas about race. He often used the image of a basketball in his art. He would combine it with dark, layered backgrounds that looked like deep space.
The basketball is also important in his installation art. He has created large sculptures called "Basketball Pyramid" works. These are pyramids made from hundreds of basketballs.
Awards and Recognition
David Huffman has received many honors for his art. Some of these include:
- Eureka Fellowship, Fleishhacker Foundation (2008)
- Artadia Award (2006)
- Palo Alto Public Arts Commission Award (2005)
Where His Art Has Been Shown
David Huffman's art has been featured in many solo exhibitions. A solo exhibition means only his art is shown. Some of his shows include:
- Worlds in Collision at Roberts & Tilton Gallery (2016)
- Everything Went Dark Until I Saw Angels (2014)
- Floating World (2012) – both at Patricia Sweetow Gallery
- Out of Bounds at the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery (2011)
- Dig it! at Patricia Sweetow Gallery (2008)
- Land of the New Rising Sun at Lizabeth Oliveria Gallery (2005)
His very first solo show was Broadsides in 1995 at the Jan Baum Gallery in Los Angeles.
Art Collections
Huffman's artwork is part of many permanent collections. This means museums and other places own his art forever. Some of these places include:
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California
- Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, New York
- Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, Minn.
- Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California
- Arkansas Art Center
- Lodeveans Collection London, England
- Arizona State University Art Museum
- Wellington Management, Boston, Massachusetts
- JPMorgan Chase Collection, New York, New York
- Eileen Norton Collection Los Angeles, California
- Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto, California
- de Saisset Museum Santa Clara, California
Teaching Art
David Huffman has also shared his knowledge with others. He has taught at Santa Clara University. Today, he is a professor at California College of the Arts. He teaches in their Graduate Fine Arts Program.
