Sanford Biggers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sanford Biggers
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| Known for | Film, video, sculpture, music |
Sanford Biggers is an amazing American artist. He creates art using many different forms. These include movies, videos, sculptures, music, and live performances. He was born in Los Angeles. Since 1999, he has lived and worked in New York City.
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Life and Education
Sanford Biggers was born in Los Angeles, California. His father was a brain surgeon. His mother was a teacher.
He went to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. There he earned a bachelor's degree. He also earned a master's degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1998, he studied at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Biggers has said that Morehouse College did not have many art classes. So, he took most of his art classes at Spelman College.
His Art Work
Sanford Biggers first became well-known in 2001. This was for his art piece Mandala of the B-Bodhisattva II. He made this with David Ellis. It was shown in an exhibit called "Freestyle." This exhibit was at the Studio Museum in Harlem.
Since then, his art has been shown all over the world. You can find his work in places like the Tate Modern in London. It has also been seen at the Whitney Biennial in New York.
Biggers' art often uses ideas from many cultures. He explores African-American history and hip hop music. He also uses ideas from Buddhism and African spiritual beliefs. He includes jazz music and Afrofuturism. His art often mixes different cultures and ideas. This helps show how things that seem different are actually connected.
He likes to make his sculptures into performances. This means people can interact with them. He has played piano for most of his life. So, music is often a big part of his performances. He has worked with many musicians. These include Saul Williams and Esthero.
In 2014, Biggers started painting on old quilts. These quilts were given to him by families. These families were descendants of slave owners. This was a new way for him to create art.
Biggers also teaches art. He is a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. He used to teach at Columbia University.
Awards and Recognition
Sanford Biggers has received many important awards. In 2019, he joined the New York Foundation for the Arts Hall of Fame. This honors great artists.
In 2010, he won the Greenfield Prize. This award gave him a two-year art residency. He created new work for this prize. This new work was shown in his 2012 exhibit, Sanford Biggers: Codex. It was at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.
He won the William H. Johnson Prize in 2009. He was also a finalist for the Jack Wolgin International Competition. This is a very big art prize. In 2008, he received the Creative Capital Award.
In 2018, a writer from the New Yorker magazine interviewed him. They talked about how his art connects to current events. They also discussed his role in the Black Lives Matter movement. That same year, he received an art award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
In 2021, Biggers received the 26th Annual Heinz Award for the Arts.
Exhibitions
Here are some places where Sanford Biggers' art has been shown:
Solo Shows
- "Sanford Biggers" - Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri. 2018.
- "Selah" — Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, New York. 2017.
- "Shuffle, Shake - Everson Museum" — Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York. 2014.
- "Codex" — John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida. 2012.
- "Sweet Funk – An Introspective" — The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York. 2011-2012.
Group Shows
- "Matter" — David Castillo Gallery, Miami, Florida. 2015-2016.
- "Eight Sculptors" — Paula Copper Gallery, New York, New York. 2012.
- "2018 Ceremonial Exhibition" - American Academy of Arts and Letters. 2018.
Art Collections
Sanford Biggers' art is part of the permanent collections in these museums:
