Dindga McCannon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dindga McCannon
Born	Dindga McCannon (1947-07-31) July 31, 1947 (age 78)
Nationality	American
Known for	Art, murals, printmaking, teaching, illustration, fiber art, writing

Dindga McCannon, born on July 31, 1947, is an amazing African-American artist from New York City. She does many kinds of art! She creates art with fabric, paints large murals, teaches, writes books, and illustrates. In 1971, Dindga helped start a group called Where We At. This group was for Black women artists to support each other.

Early Life and Learning

Dindga McCannon was born on Roosevelt Island and grew up in Harlem. She knew she wanted to be an artist when she was just 10 years old. Dindga was an only child. She was raised by her mother, Lottie Kilgo Porter, her grandmother, Hattie Kilgo, and her stepfather, Albert Porter. After her grandmother passed away in 1960, Dindga and her family moved to The Bronx.

Dindga loved art from a young age. She was accepted into the High School of Fashion Industries and the High School of Art and Design. However, her mother worried about her future. She did not let Dindga go to these art schools. Around 1961, Dindga attended the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) for high school. She was in the first group of African-American students allowed to study fashion design there. But she left because she felt unsupported. After one low grade, she was only put into sewing classes.

McCannon then moved to the High School of Commerce. She graduated from there in 1964. She did not get art lessons there. But an English teacher encouraged her to draw pictures for her book reports. Soon after she left, the school was torn down. This made space for the Lincoln Center.

After graduating, Dindga volunteered with the American Red Cross. She worked at schools in Harlem, near where she lived. The director, James White, saw her art talent. He asked her to teach art as part of her volunteer work. He also told her about an art show. There, she met and joined an art group called The Twentieth Century Art Creators. This group later split. Dindga joined the part that became the Weusi Artist Collective. She also went to City College for two years. But she dropped out because she was learning more from her artist group.

Art Career and Groups

Dindga McCannon has been an artist for over 55 years. She taught herself and creates art from her feelings. She calls herself a mixed-media artist. This means she combines her art training with traditional women's crafts. Her mother and grandmother taught her sewing, beading, embroidery, and quilting. She turns these into what are now called "ArtQuilts." Besides quilts, Dindga is also a costume designer, muralist, and printmaker. Her art often shows women's lives, portraits, and history.

In the 1960s and 1970s, artists faced unfair treatment. They created groups to fight against it. In the 1960s, McCannon was part of the Weusi Artist Collective. This group helped her get interested in the Black Arts Movement. The Weusi Collective wanted to create art that showed African themes and symbols. They also wanted to highlight Black pride. This group taught her basic skills for visual art. In 1965, McCannon also joined the Congress of Racial Equality. She marched with them in Washington to protest the Vietnam War.

In 1971, Dindga wanted to show her experiences as a Black woman artist and single mom. She hosted the first meeting of the Where We At group in her apartment. She started this group with Kay Brown and Faith Ringgold. It grew into a group of women who supported each other. They taught workshops and had one of the first art shows for professional Black women artists in New York City.

Dindga's interest in Black art and women's work came together. She started making dashikis, which are colorful African garments. This led her to create wearable art and quilts.

Her picture is in a famous 1972 poster. It is called Some Living American Women Artists by Mary Beth Edelson.

In 2015, she spoke at a conference called Art of Justice. This event was held at New York University.

Famous Artworks

Dindga McCannon has a quilt called "Yekk's Song." It is part of the permanent collection at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. In January 2020, McCannon's oil painting "The Last Farewell" was sold for $161,000. This happened during the bankruptcy sale of Johnson Publishing Company. This painting was part of their private art collection.

Revolutionary Sister is a mixed-media artwork from 1971. Dindga made it because she felt there were not enough strong women warriors shown in art. The piece shows a powerful and colorful sister. It was made using items from a hardware store. McCannon says this piece is like a Statue of Liberty figure. It is now in the permanent collection of the Brooklyn Museum.

Bessie's Song is another mixed-media piece from 2003. It was made using different fabrics and decorations. These include machine-quilted cottons, gold fabric, old beaded trim, embroidered patches, glass beads, and metallic threads.

Books by Dindga McCannon

Dindga McCannon has written and illustrated two books. Peaches was published in 1974. It tells the story of a young Black girl growing up in Harlem. It shows her life with her family and her dream of becoming an artist.

Wilhemina Jones, Future Star was published in 1980. It has a similar theme. It is about a young Black girl in Harlem in the mid-1960s. She dreams of an art career and leaving her difficult home life.

McCannon has also drawn pictures for other authors' books. She illustrated Omar at X-mas by Edgar Nkosi White. She also illustrated Speak to the Winds, African Proverbs by K. O. Opuku.

In 2018, McCannon published a cookbook with her own illustrations. It is called Celebrations. The book's opening party was held at Art For the Soul Gallery in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Art Projects and Commissions

Dindga McCannon has been asked to create many special art pieces.

• 1985: United Community, a large mural 50 feet by 6 stories tall. It is located at 25 Furman Ave, Brooklyn, NY.
• 2000: Amazing Life of Althea Gibson, an art story quilt. It is 60 inches by 120 inches. Disney Inc. commissioned it for ESPN Zone in New York City.
• 2001: Winning the Vote, an Art Quilt about the pioneers of women's voting history in America. This was for Scholastic Magazine.
• 2008: Zora Neale Hurston, a piece for the B.O.S.S. (Barnard Organization of Soul Sisters) at Columbia University, NY.

Art in Public Collections

Awards and Honors

Dindga McCannon has received several awards for her art.

• 2023 – Anonymous Was A Woman (AWAW) - Individual Artist Grant
• 2005 – N. Y. F. A. Fellowship – Crafts
• 2007 – Urban Artists Initiative, Harlem Arts Alliance
• 2008 – Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance – Individual Artists Grant
• 2009 – Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance – Individual Artist Grant

See also

In Spanish: Dindga McCannon para niños