Juan Logan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Juan Logan
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Juan Logan
August 16, 1946 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Known for | Conceptual art, multimedia art, painting, sculpture, installation |
| Awards | Fellowships from the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, North Carolina Arts Council, the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, the Rutgers Center for Innovative Print and Paper, the Carolina Postdoctoral Scholars Fellowship, and the Phillip Morris Companies |
Juan Logan, born on August 16, 1946, is an American artist from Nashville, Tennessee. He creates paintings, sculptures, and art installations. His art often shows his experiences with race and power in the Southern United States. He wants his art to make people think about their own social responsibilities.
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Juan Logan's Early Life
Juan Logan was born in Nashville, Tennessee. His father, John Louie Logan, was a minister. His mother, Madge Sarah Jane Grier, was an elementary school teacher. In 1949, his family moved to Marion, North Carolina, because his father became ill. His father passed away that same year.
In 1950, his mother remarried. Four years later, the family moved to Belmont, North Carolina, where his mother was born. They moved into a new house built by his grandfather and other family members.
Discovering Art
Juan Logan became interested in art in 1960. He was attending Reid High School in Belmont at the time. This was the high school for Black students.
Growing up in a Black farming community helped Logan learn to "see and create things." Making objects was very important to his stepfather and his grandfather. His family was proud of finding clever ways to make things instead of buying them. They believed it was important to be self-sufficient.
College and Art Studies
After finishing high school in 1964, Logan went to Howard University in Washington, D.C.. He first planned to study science, like his older brother. He wanted to focus on biology. However, he soon realized his true interest was in art. At the university, he met artists like James A. Porter, James Wells, and Lois Mailou Jones. They helped him develop his creative skills.
After a short time at Howard, Logan moved to Clark College (now Clark Atlanta University) to study art. Floyd Coleman, the head of the art department, was very supportive of Logan. Logan said that Coleman was the first artist he met who openly dealt with political issues in his art. Coleman's paintings inspired Logan to explore social and political topics. Logan learned he could do this using colors, images, symbols, and metaphors. These elements are still a big part of his artwork today.
Military Service and Art
In 1967, Logan joined the United States Air Force. He worked as a jet engine mechanic during the Vietnam War. His time in the military greatly influenced how he explored American society and politics in his art. Some of his early paintings, like I Am Black and Black American Dream from the late 1960s and early 1970s, were a response to his military experience. Logan chose to use abstract art in these works. He felt that abstraction allowed him to explore ideas more broadly than realistic art.
In 1998, Logan earned his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree. He received it from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. He focused on painting and mixed-media sculpture during his studies.
Juan Logan's Art Career
Besides creating his own art, Juan Logan also works as the Conservation Manager at the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Project. There, he helped restore 31 large sculptures made by artist Vollis Simpson for the city of Wilson, North Carolina.
Logan is also a retired professor of studio art. He taught at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
He was chosen as one of the designers for the North Carolina Freedom Monument Project. This project is a public park in Raleigh.
Art Exhibitions and Collections
Juan Logan has had many solo art shows. These include exhibitions at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans and N'Namdi Contemporary in Miami. His work has also been shown at the Weatherspoon Art Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina, and the Harvey B. Gantt Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Other exhibitions include the Tweed Museum of Art in Duluth, Minnesota, and the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art in Colorado. He has also shown his art at The World Bank in Washington D.C. and the June Kelly Gallery in New York.
In 2001, Logan was an Artist-in-Residence at the McColl Center for Art + Innovation in Charlotte, NC.
His artwork is part of many public and corporate art collections. These include the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the National Museum of African Art. His art can also be found at the Mint Museum of Art and the Baltimore Museum of Art. Additionally, his work is part of the Art in Embassies Program in Togo and South Africa.
Logan received support from several foundations. One was the Pollination Project, which supported his interactive, traveling Waiting Project.
In 2016, Logan's work was featured in the REMIX exhibition at the Columbia Museum of Art.
Personal Life
Juan Logan currently lives in Belmont, North Carolina. He is married to Jonell Logan, who is a curator.
