Joe Ray (artist) facts for kids

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

Joe Ray (born 1944) is an American artist who lives and works in Los Angeles. He creates art using many different styles and materials. His art includes paintings, sculptures, performance art, and photographs.

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

In the 1970s, Joe Ray helped start an important group called Studio Z. This group included other famous African-American artists like David Hammons and Senga Nengudi. A writer named Catherine Wagley said Joe Ray always wanted to understand all kinds of light and space. This included cosmic, psychic, spiritual, and geographical light. This focus on ideas, rather than just one material, made his art unique.

Joe Ray's 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 the permanent collections at LACMA and the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art. This means his art is owned by these museums and can be seen by the public.

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 at this college, which used to be segregated.

In 1963, Joe Ray traveled to Los Angeles by bus. He quickly joined the city's growing art scene. In 1965, he served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam. When he returned in 1967, he settled in the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles. This neighborhood was becoming a lively center for African-American culture. Here, he began to experiment with making sculptures from resin. He worked alongside other artists like Larry Bell.

First Exhibitions and Art School

Joe Ray first showed his art in 1969 at the 4th Annual Watts Summer Festival Art Exhibition. After this, his work was shown in group exhibitions at several museums. These included the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

In 1970, LACMA gave him a Young Talent Award. After this, he joined the first class at the new California Institute of the Arts. There, he studied with famous artists like John Baldessari and Nam June Paik. During his time there, he tried out performance art, photography, and video art. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1973.

Later Career and Recognition

Joe Ray, Untitled (detail), a series of thirty-one photographs, 1970–2. This artwork is part of the LACMA collection.

Later in his career, Joe Ray's art was featured in more important exhibitions. These included "Made In California: Art, Image and Identity (1900–2000)" at LACMA. His work was also part of "L.A. Object & David Hammons Body Prints" in New York and Los Angeles. In 2010, he was in "The Artist's Museum" at MOCA LA.

In 2017, a special exhibition called "Complexion Constellation" showed 50 years of his artwork. This show took place at the Diane Rosenstein Gallery in Los Angeles. It allowed people to see how his art changed and grew over many decades.