Queen Brooks facts for kids

Queen Brooks (born in 1943) is a talented artist from Columbus, Ohio. She is famous for her unique art pieces, which are often brightly painted and made using a special technique called wood-burning.

Many people recognize Queen Brooks as a very important artist. The newspaper The Columbus Dispatch called her "one of Ohio’s best-known African-American artists." The director of the Columbus Museum of Art, Nannette Maciejunes, also described her as "a leading arts elder in our community." This means she is a respected and experienced artist who helps guide others.

Queen Brooks is also a mentor, which means she teaches and inspires many younger artists. One artist she has mentored is April Sunami. Brooks won a special award called the Lila Wallace, Reader's Digest International Artist Award. This award allowed her to study art in Abidjan, the capital city of Côte d'Ivoire in West Africa.

In 2012, an organization called The HistoryMakers interviewed Queen Brooks. They record stories from African-Americans to create a more complete history of the United States.

How Queen Brooks Started in Art

Queen Brooks grew up surrounded by many talented Black artists in Columbus. These artists helped her develop her skills. Some of them included Bill Agnew, the famous woodcarver Elijah Pierce, and Aminah Robinson. Her personal teachers were photographer Kojo Kamau and mixed-media artist Barbara Chavous.

Brooks began her art career in 1980. She taught arts and crafts at the J. Ashburn Jr. Youth Center. This is where she first learned about pyrography, which is the art of decorating wood by burning designs into it.

After finishing her master's degree in fine arts (MFA) at Ohio State University, she traveled to Abidjan, Ivory Coast. She went there in 1993 as part of the Lila Wallace, Reader’s Digest International Artist Award.

Where Queen Brooks Has Taught and Worked

Queen Brooks has shared her art knowledge in many places:

• She was an Adjunct Professor of Art at Otterbein University from 1995 to 2002.
• She also taught art at Ohio Dominican University from 2002 to 2006.
• Since 2008, she has been a Lead Artist for "Art in the House" with the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

Where You Can See Her Art

You can find Queen Brooks' artwork in many important places. Her pieces are part of the permanent collections at:

• The Columbus Museum of Art
• The William H. Thomas Gallery
• The Martin de Porres Center
• The National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center in Wilberforce, Ohio
• Ohio Dominican and Otterbein Universities
• The King Arts Complex

Her art is also owned by many private collectors across the United States and in the Ivory Coast. Currently, some of her work is on display at the Southern Ohio Museum.

Queen Brooks has also created large art pieces for public spaces. She made the special entrance for the Kwanzaa Playground in Columbus, Ohio. She also painted a mural for Krumm Park, which is also in Columbus. In 2020, the Southern Ohio Museum held a special exhibit just for her artwork.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Queen Brooks has received many awards for her amazing art:

• Lila Wallace, Reader’s Digest International Artist Award - 1993
• Ohioana Career Award - 2008
• South Side Settlement Arts Freedom Award - 2004
• Arts Midwest National Endowment of the Arts Award - 1994
• Excellence in the Arts Award, The Ohio State University

Public Artworks by Queen Brooks

Queen Brooks has created several public art pieces that everyone can enjoy:

• The portal entrance for the Kwanzaa Playground. This was Ohio’s first playground designed with an Afrocentric theme.
• Murals at Columbus’ Krumm Park area.
• Murals at Indianola K-8 School.
• Art at Ohio Wesleyan University's Ross Art Museum.