Letitia Huckaby facts for kids

Carita Letitia Huckaby, born in 1972, is an American photographer. She creates amazing art by mixing photography with fabrics. Her art often tells stories about her family and important moments in African American history.

Early Life and Education

Carita Letitia Huckaby's journey into art started with ballet. In 1988 and 1989, she was chosen to attend the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute. There, she studied modern dance. This is where she first discovered photography and instantly loved it.

Her parents were not as excited about her becoming a photographer. So, she decided to study journalism at the University of Oklahoma. She focused on advertising.

Discovering Photography

In 1994, Huckaby earned her journalism degree from the University of Oklahoma. She then worked as a Promotions Coordinator at a radio station. During this time, she also studied photography as a hobby at a special school.

Later, the Oklahoma Arts Institute invited her to help their Public Relations team. This gave her a chance to see a photography exhibit by Christopher James. His work, especially a piece called Dying Man, deeply moved her. This experience made her decide to go back to school. In 2001, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in art photography from the Art Institute of Boston.

Finding Her Artistic Voice

While in Boston, Huckaby found her passion for documentary photography. She photographed a dance studio that offered free classes to kids. She also captured life at Wally's, a historic jazz club. She even worked backstage at makeup shows and helped a photographer at a wedding. She practiced her skills by taking pictures of city life.

During this time, she had her first art show. She started working as a photographer and received several awards and scholarships.

After finishing her degree in Boston, she moved back to Texas to be closer to her family. She became a freelance journalist, taking photos for newspapers and schools. She photographed babies, sports, and weddings. She married a painter named Sedrick Huckaby. After having her first child and losing her father, she returned to school. In 2010, she earned her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in photography from the University of North Texas.

Art Career

Letitia Huckaby is a well-known artist. In 2013, she was chosen for the Texas Biennial. This event shows off the best new and established artists in Texas. Her art has been displayed in many places. These include the Dallas Contemporary and the African-American Museum in Dallas.

Her work is also part of permanent collections. This means her art is kept forever in places like the Art Museum of Southeast Texas and Scripps College. She has also given talks about her art at different centers.

Public Art Projects

Huckaby has created public art for everyone to enjoy. She made a piece along the Trinity River in Fort Worth. She also created an installation at the Ella Mae Shamblee Branch library. At the new Highland Hills Branch Library in Dallas, she designed glass panels. These panels show silhouettes of people from the community above the main entrance.

She also helped start Kinfolk House. This is a special art space in a 100-year-old home in Fort Worth. In 2022, she was named the Texas Artist of the Year. Letitia Huckaby's art is represented by the Talley Dunn Gallery in Dallas.

Solo Exhibitions

Letitia Huckaby has had many solo art shows. Here are some of them:

• Bayou Baroque (2015): This show honored nuns in New Orleans. Her art mixed materials to tell historical stories. The pieces showed Black women with the same importance as old religious paintings.
• Beautiful Blackness (2020): This exhibition explored African American life in the rural American South. Huckaby looked at the remains of Freedmen's towns and the path of the Exodusters.
• 5 Paperdolls: A Contemporary Tale (2020): This exhibition was inspired by the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963. This tragic event caused the deaths of four children.
• A Tale of Two Greenwoods (2020): This project was also shown in 2020.
• This Same Dusty Road (2020): This show looked at Huckaby's own faith and family history in Louisiana. Much of the art came from her memories of family who lived along Louisiana Highway 19.
• And Thy Neighb(our) (2020): This exhibition focused on important ideas like community, home, and identity. The title comes from a Bible verse about loving your neighbor.
• Bitter Waters Sweet (2022): In this show, Huckaby explored the history of Africatown. This is a historic Black community near Mobile, Alabama. It was founded by people brought to America on the Clotilda, the last known slave ship.

Group Exhibitions

Huckaby has also been part of many group art shows:

• Make Art with Purpose 2020 (MAP2020): The Further We Roll, The More We Gain: This festival celebrated 100 years of the 19th Amendment. This amendment gave American women the right to vote. Many female artists created works exploring themes related to women's rights.
• State of the Art 2020: This exhibition featured over 100 artworks by 61 different artists, including Letitia Huckaby. The show explored ideas like creating spaces, connections to landscapes, and thoughts about home and family.
• Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation (2023): This exhibition opened during the 160th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Artists showed works that responded to a sculpture called The Freedman. Huckaby's piece was her 2022 print Ms. Angela and the Baby.

Art Series and Collections

Letitia Huckaby has created many series of artworks. Each series explores different themes and ideas. Some of her notable series include:

• Bitter Waters Sweet
• A Tale of Two Greenwoods
• And Thy Neighb(our)
• 5 Paperdolls: A Contemporary Tale
• Suffer Rage
• Beautiful Blackness
• 40 Acres... Gumbo Ya Ya
• Bayou Baroque
• Shop Rags
• Sugar Sacks
• Flour
• LA 19
• Dress Project
• Quilts