Derrick Adams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Derrick Adams
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Adams in 2019
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| Born | 1970 (age 54–55) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Columbia University |
| Alma mater | Pratt Institute |
| Awards | Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize, |
Derrick Adams (born 1970) is an amazing American artist, curator, and professor. He creates art that often explores Black identity and celebrates Black culture in America. His work uses cool patterns, images, and themes that tell important stories. Adams has also taught art at the Maryland Institute College of Art.
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Early Life and Learning
Derrick Adams was born in 1970 in Baltimore, Maryland. Before becoming a full-time artist, he taught elementary school for a short time. He then studied art at the Pratt Institute. After graduating in 1996, he continued his studies. He earned his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from Columbia University in 2003.
Artistic Journey
Derrick Adams is known for creating art that makes people think. He often uses everyday objects and ideas to share important messages.
Pyramids and Pop Culture
In 2016, Adams created a special art setup called Derrick Adams: THE HOLDOUT. It was at the Aljira Center for Contemporary Art in Newark, New Jersey. This artwork featured a huge pyramid that held a radio station inside. Adams says his pyramids show how long Black culture has been around. They also represent the amazing cultural achievements of Black people throughout history.
Later in 2016, Adams had a show at Pioneer Works called Derrick Adams: ON. This exhibition looked at Black characters from popular movies and TV shows. It included collages, sculptures, and even lampshades. These pieces reminded people of characters from shows like In Living Color and The Matrix.
Fashion and History
In 2017, Adams's art was shown at the Studio Museum in Harlem. His exhibition, Derrick Adams: Patrick Kelley, The Journey, was very unique. He made "mood boards" for a pretend autobiography of fashion designer Patrick Kelley. Adams felt a connection to Kelley's work. He saw how Kelley used design to build an identity, much like Adams does in his own art.
Adams also created a solo show called Future People in 2017. He used old photos and items from the Stony Island Arts Bank for this project. The show had a video that played images and quotes from Black writers and speakers. There was also a series of collages called Orbiting Us #1-#10. These collages showed items designed by Charles Harrison. Harrison was the first Black executive at Sears, Roebuck and Company. Adams used this exhibition to highlight the creativity and strength of Black people. He showed how they can imagine and create even in tough times.
Travel and Freedom
In 2018, Adams showed art inspired by The Negro Motorist Green Book at the Museum of Arts and Design. This book was a guide for Black travelers during the Jim Crow era. His show, called Sanctuary, had a miniature highway running through the museum. Along the highway were collages that looked like places from the guidebook. Sanctuary celebrated the fun times and successes of African Americans. It showed how they enjoyed life even when laws made things difficult for them.
Looking Back and Forward
The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver held a big show of Adams's work in 2018. It was called Derrick Adams: Transmission. The exhibition featured sculptures, installations, and drawings from 2014 to 2017. It included three main groups of his art: "Future People" (2017), "Fabrication Station" (2016), and his "Boxhead" sculptures (2014). This show explored how Adams studies racial identity. He looks at how it's shown in popular culture and how it can be imagined for the future.
Derrick Adams received a special award in 2018, the Gordon Parks Foundation Fellowship. As part of this award, he had an exhibition with another artist, Deana Lawson. It was called American Family: Derrick Adams and Deana Lawson. Adams explained that Gordon Parks's work inspires him. He feels it's important to show the many sides of Black American life. He wants to highlight the rich and complex past, present, and future of his culture.
Art on Screen and in the City
In 2019, Adams's art was featured on the popular TV show Empire on Fox. His artwork in the show depicted the main characters, Cookie and Lucious Lyon. This art was part of a special collection that helps Turnaround Arts. This program supports arts education in schools. This wasn't the first time his art appeared on a hit TV show. In 2017, his work was also seen on Issa Rae's HBO comedy Insecure.
Also in 2019, the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) asked Adams to create art for the Nostrand Avenue Station. He designed 85 panels of laminated glass artwork. These panels stretch along the station platforms and onto four new bridges. The artwork shows the neighborhoods of Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant. Adams used aerial photos, maps, and his own memories. His collage style highlights the strong connection between people and their surroundings.
In 2020, Adams created a mural for Harlem Hospital.
Playgrounds and History
In 2023, Adams was one of six artists chosen for a special project on the National Mall. This was part of Beyond Granite: Pulling Together, the first art exhibition ever on the Mall. Adams designed a fun, interactive playground. It was a memorial to the desegregation of public schools in Washington, D.C. The playground was split in half by a large panel. This panel showed pictures of kids playing on a playground right after schools became desegregated. One half of Adams's playground was painted in shades of gray. The other half was bright and colorful. An archway in the middle connected the two sides, showing how things changed.
