Joe Ray (artist) facts for kids

Joe Ray, New Eye, a sculpture made from resin and plexiglas in 1969.

Joe Ray (born in 1944) is an American artist from Los Angeles. He creates many different kinds of art. He uses painting, sculpture, performance art, and photography. His art often mixes abstract ideas (shapes and colors) with realistic pictures.

Joe Ray started his art journey in the early 1960s. He was part of important art groups in Los Angeles. These included the Light and Space movement. This group focused on how light and space affect art. He also worked with early artists who made sculptures from resin. One of these artists was Larry Bell.

Joe Ray was also a founder of Studio Z. This was an important group of African-American artists in the 1970s. Other famous artists like David Hammons and Senga Nengudi were also in this group. People say Joe Ray is very interested in all kinds of light and space. This includes cosmic, mind, and spiritual light.

His art has been shown in many big museums. These include the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). His work is also part of public collections at LACMA.

Early Life and Art Journey

Joe Ray was born in Beaumont, Texas, in 1944. He grew up in Alexandria, Louisiana. In high school, he took classes in metalwork, art, and music. He then studied fine arts at the University of Southwestern Louisiana. He was one of the few Black students there. The college had been separated by race before.

In 1963, he traveled to Los Angeles. He soon joined the city's growing art scene. In 1965, he was called to serve in the U.S. Army. He went to Vietnam. This was just two weeks after the Watts Rebellion in Los Angeles. The Watts Rebellion was a big event where people protested for civil rights.

When he came back from Vietnam in 1967, Joe Ray settled in the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles. This neighborhood was becoming a center for African-American culture. Here, he started trying out sculptures made with resin. He worked with other artists like Larry Bell.

First Art Shows and Education

Joe Ray first showed his art in 1969. It was at the 4th Annual Watts Summer Festival Art Exhibition. After that, his art was shown in many group exhibitions. These included shows at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and LACMA. In 1970, he won a Young Talent Award from LACMA.

After winning the award, he joined the first class at the new California Institute of the Arts. He studied with famous artists like John Baldessari. While there, he explored performance art, photography, and video art. He earned his art degree in 1973. From 1978 to 1980, he was part of an advisory group for MOCA. This group included other well-known artists.

Joe Ray, Untitled, a series of thirty-one photos from 1970–2. This artwork is at LACMA.

Later Exhibitions

In his later career, Joe Ray's art was shown in many more exhibitions. These included "Made In California" at LACMA. This show looked at art from California from 1900 to 2000. His work was also in "The Artist's Museum" at MOCA LA in 2010.

In 2017, a special exhibition of his work took place. It was called "Complexion Constellation." This show looked back at 50 years of his art. It was held at the Diane Rosenstein Gallery in Los Angeles.