Noah Purifoy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Noah Purifoy
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Noah Purifoy Outdoor Art Museum in Joshua Tree, California
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Noah Purifoy
August 17, 1917 Snow Hill, Alabama, U.S.
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| Died | March 5, 2004 (aged 86) Joshua Tree, California, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | Chouinard Art Institute |
| Known for | Assemblage Sculpture |
Noah S. Purifoy (born August 17, 1917 – died March 5, 2004) was an amazing African-American artist. He was a sculptor who made art from everyday objects. Noah helped start the Watts Towers Art Center. He also created the unique Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum. He spent most of his life living and working in Los Angeles and Joshua Tree, California.
Noah was the first African American to study full-time at the Chouinard Art Institute. He got his art degree in 1956, just before he turned 40. He is famous for his 'assemblage' sculptures. This means he put together different objects to create art. Some of his most famous pieces were made from burnt items and trash. He collected these after the Watts Riots in August 1965.
"I do not wish to be an artist. I only wish that art enables me to be." —Noah Purifoy, 1963
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Noah Purifoy's Early Life and Schooling
Noah Purifoy was born in 1917 in Snow Hill, Alabama. He was one of thirteen children. Noah lived and worked in Los Angeles and Joshua Tree, California. He passed away in 2004. During World War II, he served in the United States Navy. He was a Seabee, which is a special construction unit. As a veteran, he was buried in Ohio.
Noah earned a degree from Alabama State Teachers College in 1943. He then got another degree in social services from Atlanta University in 1948. After college, Noah worked as a social worker in Cleveland. In 1950, he moved to Los Angeles and worked at the County Hospital. In 1953, Purifoy started studying at the Chouinard Art Institute. He was the first African American to be a full-time student there. He earned his art degree in 1956, just before his 40th birthday.
66 Signs of Neon Art Project
After the Watts Riots in August 1965, Noah Purifoy and artist Judson Powell created an art show. It was called 66 Signs of Neon. They made about 50 artworks from materials they found in the riot's aftermath. This was their way to "interpret the August event."
The show first opened at Markham Junior High School in April 1966. It featured art by six artists. Later, the exhibition traveled to many universities and other places across the United States. For 20 years after the riots, Purifoy focused on using found objects. He used art to help bring about social change.
Noah also helped start the Watts Towers Art Center. This art center is next to the famous Watts Towers in Watts, Los Angeles, California.
From the late 1970s to the late 1980s, Purifoy was part of the California Arts Council. He started programs like "Artists in Social Institutions." This program brought art into state prisons. After this, he moved to the southern Mojave Desert to create more art.
Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum
In 1989, Noah Purifoy moved to the Mojave Desert. He lived in a friend's trailer. For the last fifteen years of his life, he built what is now the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Sculpture Museum.
This museum is located on 10 acres of open land. It is near the town of Joshua Tree, California. The museum has over one hundred artworks. These include large sculptures made from many different objects. There are also environmental sculptures and installation art. Noah created all of these between 1989 and 2004.
At first glance, it might look like a salvage yard. You can see tires, old bathroom fixtures, TVs, clothes, toys, and vacuum cleaners. But each piece tells a story. For example, one artwork has a water fountain labeled "White" and a toilet labeled "Colored." This makes people think about important issues. The museum is open to everyone. The Noah Purifoy Foundation, started in 1998, helps maintain and protect it.
Noah Purifoy's Art Exhibitions
Noah Purifoy's art has been shown in two special exhibitions. In 1997, the California African American Museum in Exposition Park held the first one. In 2015, the LACMA museum had an exhibition called Noah Purifoy: Junk Dada. Many of his outdoor artworks were moved there for this show.
Purifoy's art has also been part of important group exhibitions. These include:
- Pacific Standard Time: Crosscurrents in L.A. Painting and Sculpture, 1950-1970 (2011-2012) at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. It also traveled to Berlin, Germany.
- Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles 1960-1980 (2011-2012) at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles. It later went to MOMA PS1 in New York.
- Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power (2017) at Tate Modern in London.
- Outliers and American Vanguard Art (2018) at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.
See also
- American installation artists
- African-American artists
- Readymades of Marcel Duchamp
