Rico Gatson facts for kids

Rico Gatson is an artist who works in many different art forms. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. His art often explores his African-American background and history. He uses his art to share ideas about important moments in African-American history. His artwork mixes abstract shapes with bright colors. This creates powerful pieces that connect to African-American culture and history.

Early Life and Education

Rico Gatson was born in Augusta, Georgia in 1966. He grew up in Riverside, California. His parents moved to the East Coast during the Great Migration. This was a time when many African Americans moved from the Southern U.S. to other parts of the country. His parents became part of the growing Black middle class.

In the 1980s, Rico went to Bethel College in Minnesota. He first studied graphic design but then changed to fine art. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts (BFA) in 1989. Later, he got his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from Yale School of Art in 1991. While at Yale, he learned about sculpture from the artist David von Schlegell.

Rico Gatson has also been an artist-in-residence at places like Franconia Sculpture Park and the Wright Museum of Art at Beloit College. This means he spent time there creating art.

Exploring Art and Identity

Rico Gatson's art looks at themes of African American History and identity. His abstract artworks use symbols and images that make people think and talk. They often relate to the political situation in the U.S., especially concerning Black lives and Black heroes.

His art is inspired by early 20th-century art movements. One influence is Russian Constructivism, which used geometric shapes in propaganda posters. These artists believed art should show everyday life. Gatson's work also connects to Afrofuturism. This is a style that imagines the future of Black people in history, the present, and the future. He also uses ideas from Bauhaus and Op art, as well as traditional African fabric patterns.

Rico Gatson is a multidisciplinary artist. This means he works with many different art forms. He uses painting, sculpture, photography, video, and installations. He often adds kaleidoscopic patterns to his videos and portraits. These portraits show Black heroes like James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr., members of the Black Panther Party, Muhammad Ali, and President Obama.

His art has been shown in museums around the world. These include The Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Mississippi Museum of Art, and The Essl Museum in Austria.

Beacons Subway Art

In 2019, Rico Gatson created a series of mosaic portraits called Beacons. These artworks were made for a subway station in the Bronx, New York. The Beacons series was shown at the 167th Street Station. It featured eight portraits of important African-American and Latino figures. These included Tito Puente, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Audre Lorde, Celia Cruz, James Baldwin, Reggie Jackson, Maya Angelou, and Gil Scott-Heron. This project was an expansion of his earlier museum show called Icons.

The mosaics use geometric lines and the colors of the Pan-African flag: red, green, and black. These colors are often seen in Gatson's other paintings, like When She Speaks. The lines look like beams of light. They highlight the beauty and pride linked to these cultural heroes.

When She Speaks Exhibition

Rico Gatson's 2014 solo exhibition, When She Speaks, included photo collages, sculptures, and a video. The main part of the show was a short video. It showed footage of Black Panthers members Kathleen and Eldridge Cleaver. They were talking about the unfair death of their son, Bobby Hutton. Gatson added colorful kaleidoscopic edits to the video. This broke up and overlapped the images, creating a powerful and unsettling feeling. He used similar video effects in his 2013 solo show, The Promise of Light.

Awards and Recognition

Rico Gatson has received several awards for his art:

• Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Biennial Award for Visual Artists, 2001
• Prized Pieces Video Award from the National Black Programming Consortium, Columbus, OH, 1991
• Oil Bar Ltd. Award for Excellence in Sculpture from Yale School of Art, New Haven, CT, 1991
• Pew Charitable Trust Graduate Fellowship, 1990