Francine Haskins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Francine Haskins
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Francine Haskins, Washington, D.C. multi-media artist, 2021.
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| Born | February 10, 1947 Washington, D.C., U.S.
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| Education | McKinley Technology High School, Corcoran School of the Arts and Design |
| Known for | Painting Textile arts, Quilting, dollmaking Children's Books |
Francine Haskins (born February 10, 1947) is an amazing American artist from Washington, D.C. She creates art using many different materials, especially fabrics, and is also a talented illustrator for children's books. She was one of the people who helped start 1800 Belmont Arts, a special group of African-American artists in Washington, D.C., which was active from 1991 to 2001.
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Growing Up and Learning Art
Francine Haskins was born in 1947 in Washington, D.C. Her father worked for the railroad and later in the U.S. Senate Dining Hall. Her mother taught English. Francine grew up in a time when Washington, D.C., was segregated, meaning Black and white people were kept separate in many places.
She went to McKinley Technical High School and was part of the Arts Club there. Her art teacher, Sam Gilliam, was a big influence on her. After high school, in 1965, she studied advertising design at the Corcoran School of Art. She thought this was the best way to make a living as an artist.
Later, a professor introduced her to Topper Carew, who ran The New Thing Art and Architecture Center. In 1970, Francine worked in the art department there. She made posters and brochures. She also taught art to children in the neighborhood.
Creating Unique Artwork
Francine Haskins worked for a department store for 13 years. During this time, she noticed that there weren't many products that showed everyday African American life. So, she started making her own note cards and dolls. These creations featured Black characters and scenes.
By 1985, she decided to become a full-time artist. She began showing and selling her artwork at art fairs and special shows about Black history. She also created art for people who asked for custom pieces.
In the early 1990s, a publisher named Harriet Rohmer saw Francine's drawings on a sweatshirt. She loved them and asked Francine to create a children's book with African American characters. Francine thought about her own childhood in Washington, D.C. This led her to write and illustrate two books: I Remember 121 (1990) and Things I Like About Grandma (1991). Her first book, I Remember 121, was very popular and used in many city schools.
In 1993, Francine also helped first-grade students paint a mural on a wall at Shepherd Park Elementary School in Washington, D.C. Since 2016, the gift shop at the National Museum of African American History and Culture has sold her handmade dolls.
1800 Belmont Arts Collective
A woman named Rashida Mims had an idea for a community place for Black art and culture. In 1991, she and her husband, Jamal Mims, along with other artists, opened 1800 Belmont Arts. This was a Victorian house in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The rooms in the house were set up as shops and studios.
Francine Haskins opened her studio there in 1991. She sold her artwork directly to the public. For several years, she also taught classes on how to make handmade dolls at her studio on Saturdays.
Some of the artists who stayed at 1800 Belmont Arts for a long time included Francine Haskins, Ampofo Designs (who made ceramic sculptures and textile designs), and the Graham Collection (who sold Black collectibles). The three-story house closed in 2001. After that, some of the artists, including Francine, opened a new place called Belmont Arts East. This was in the Brookland neighborhood and was open from 2001 to 2007.
Books by Francine Haskins
Francine Haskins has written and illustrated several books, especially for children.
- I Remember "121" (1991): This book shares Francine's memories of growing up in a traditional African-American community in Washington, D.C.
- Things I Like about Grandma (1992): In this book, Francine wrote and illustrated a story about a close relationship between an African-American girl and her grandmother.
- She also illustrated Hair! (1987), a book about African-American hair care, and a version of Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol (2018) where the characters are Black Victorians. Her illustrations also appear in Tenderheaded: A Comb-Bending Collection of Hair Stories (2002).
Art Exhibitions
Francine Haskins' artwork has been shown in many art exhibitions over the years. Her dolls and other pieces have been featured in museums and galleries across the country. For example, her work was part of "Yes Sir. That's My Baby. African American Dolls" at the Banneker-Douglass Museum in Maryland in 1991. She also had her art in "Something for the Soul" at the American Jazz Museum in Missouri in 2003. More recently, her handmade dolls were part of an exhibition at the Library of Congress in 2020.
