Shirley Woodson facts for kids

Shirley Woodson (born in 1936) is an American artist, teacher, and art collector. She is famous for her amazing paintings that show scenes from African American history. Her artwork has been displayed for over 60 years. You can find her pieces in important places like the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Studio Museum in Harlem.

In 2021, Shirley Woodson was named a Kresge Eminent Artist. This is a special award for artists in Detroit. The Detroit Institute of Arts held her first solo show, "Shirley Woodson: Shield of the Nile," from late 2021 to mid-2022. Her art was also part of the "Ground Up: Reflections on Black Abstraction" exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit in 2022.

Early Life and Learning

Shirley Woodson was born in 1936 in Pulaski, Tennessee. When she was just three months old, her family moved to Detroit. She has lived there ever since.

When she was in seventh grade, Shirley got a special chance. She was chosen to take art classes every Saturday at the Detroit Institute of Arts. She loved going there. Woodson once said that the museum was her "most favorite place to be."

Shirley Woodson went to Wayne State University. She earned her first art degree, a B.F.A., in 1958. Later, she got her master's degree, an M.A., from the same university in 1966. She also studied art in other places. She did graduate work at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1960. In 1962, she traveled to Rome, Paris, and Stockholm to study art on her own.

Art Career

Shirley Woodson's art was first shown to the public in 1960. This was at a show for Michigan artists at the Detroit Institute of Arts. In the same year, she started teaching in the Detroit Public Schools.

Woodson's art has been shown in many places around the world. These include the Academy of Arts and Letters in New York and the Oakland Museum in California. Her work has even traveled as far as Dakar, Senegal, and Lagos, Nigeria. She has had more than 30 solo art shows.

Shirley Woodson is mentioned in several important art books. She is one of only ten Black artists, and the only woman, featured in "Harold Neal and Detroit African American Artists." This book covers art from 1945 through the Black Arts Movement. She is also in "The Art of Black American Women" and "Gumbo Ya Ya."

From 1966 to 1967, Woodson received a special award called the MacDowell Colony Fellowship. During this time, she tried new art methods, like collage. Collage is when you make art by gluing different materials onto a surface. She still uses collage in her work today, often mixing it with her paintings.

Teaching and Leadership

Shirley Woodson taught at Highland Park Community College in Highland Park, Michigan. She worked there from 1966 to 1978. After that, she became an art specialist for the Highland Park Schools from 1979 to 1992. Then, from 1992 to 2008, she returned to Detroit Public Schools as the supervisor of fine arts.

In 1974, Woodson helped start the Michigan chapter of the National Conference of Artists (NCA). This is the oldest national art group for Black visual artists. She is a leader on the national board and is the president of the Michigan chapter. Woodson is also a member of other art education groups.

Shirley Woodson has inspired many artists in Detroit. People in her city say she has "lived a life dedicated to uplifting the beauty of Black art." She also helped break down barriers for Black artists. Many artists, like Gilda Snowden, learned a lot from her guidance.

In 2021, an art show called "Shirley Woodson: Why Do I Delight" featured 28 of her pieces. This show also included six artworks by artists she mentored. These artists include Elizabeth Youngblood, Dwight Smith, and Kimberly Harden. Another exhibit in 2021, "Harold Neal and Detroit African American Artists," showed Woodson's painting, "Martha’s Vandellas" (1969).

Shirley Woodson and her husband, Edsel Reid, were also art collectors. In 2019, they loaned one of their artworks to the "Detroit Collects" exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Edsel Reid was well-known in Detroit for supporting African American art, including jazz music.

Awards and Honors

Shirley Woodson has received many awards for her art and her work in the community. Her most recent big honor was in 2021. She was named the Kresge Eminent Artist. This award celebrates one Detroit artist each year. It recognizes their achievements, their contributions to culture, and their dedication to the local art scene.

In 1998, she received the DIA Alain Locke Award. She also won the Lillian Benbow Award from the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. Other awards include the NCA Award for Artistic Excellence in 1977. She was also listed in "World Who's Who of Women" and "Who's Who in American Art." In 1966, she received a special MacDowell Fellowship.

Art Collections

Shirley Woodson's paintings are part of 23 different art collections. These include major museums and institutions. Some of these are:

• The Detroit Institute of Arts
• The Studio Museum in Harlem
• The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit
• The Mott-Warsh Collection of Contemporary Art in Flint, Michigan
• The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York City
• The Museum of the National Center for Afro American Artists in Boston
• The Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C.
• Florida A&M University