Lilian Thomas Burwell facts for kids

Lilian Thomas Burwell is an American artist born in 1927. She is known for her unique sculptures and paintings. Her artwork often mixes these two styles. She uses abstract shapes and colors to show her feelings about the natural world.

Growing Up and Learning Art

Lilian Thomas Burwell was born in Washington, D.C. on June 7, 1927. She grew up in a very creative family. Her father was a photographer, and her mother was an artist. Both of her parents also taught art. Her aunt, Hilda Rue Wilkinson Brown, was a well-known painter.

Lilian went to special art schools. She studied at The High School of Music & Art in New York City. She also attended Dunbar High School in Washington, DC. After high school, she continued her art education. She studied at Pratt Institute and finished there in 1946. Later, she earned a bachelor's degree from DC Teachers College. In 1975, she earned a master's degree in fine arts from Catholic University.

Her Artistic Career

Lilian Thomas Burwell studied a style of art called abstract expressionism. She learned from the famous artist Benjamin Abramowitz in the 1960s. She worked in this style for many years. In the early 1980s, her art changed. She started making sculptures, often carving wood. She also began creating "paintings as sculpture," where her paintings became three-dimensional.

Burwell has been an important part of the art community in Washington, D.C. She was also close friends with other African-American painters. These friends included Felrath Hines, Alma Thomas, and Sylvia Snowden.

Her artwork has been shown in more than 20 exhibits. These exhibits have been in the United States and other countries. Some famous places that have shown her art include:

• The Anacostia Community Museum at the Smithsonian Institution
• The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry
• The National Museum of Women in the Arts
• The Baltimore Museum of Art
• The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library

In 1997, the Hampton University Museum held a special show. It looked back at 30 years of her art. They also published a book about her work. It was called From Painting to Painting as Sculpture: the Journey of Lilian Thomas Burwell.

Teaching and Curating Art

Lilian Thomas Burwell also had a long career in teaching and curating art. Curating means organizing art shows. She worked for 15 years in these roles.

• She was the first director of the Alma Thomas Memorial Gallery in Shaw. This gallery was for the D.C. Department of Education.
• She was the curatorial director of the Sumner Museum and Archives.
• She designed art lessons for the DC Public Schools.
• She taught art at Pratt Institute in New York City.
• She was the head of the visual arts department at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
• She taught art as recently as 2012 at Anne Arundel Community College.

In 2015, Burwell organized an art show. It was called "The Art of a People: Finding a Way Out of No Way." This show was at the Banneker-Douglass Museum. She also has 30 years of experience in graphic design. This includes working for the United States Department of Commerce.