Sylvia Snowden facts for kids

Sylvia Snowden (born 1942) is an African American abstract painter. She uses acrylics, oil pastels, and other materials to create art. Her works often have a lot of texture, showing the "feel of paint." Many museums have displayed her art. Some have even added her paintings to their permanent collections.

Early Life and Learning

Sylvia Snowden was born in 1942 in Raleigh, North Carolina. She went to Howard University to study art. There, she learned from a famous artist named David Driskell. Sylvia earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Howard. She also received a scholarship to the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. Plus, she has a special certificate from Le Grande Chaumier in Paris, France.

Her Art Career

Sylvia Snowden has taught art at several well-known universities. These include Howard University, Cornell, and Yale. She has also worked as an artist-in-residence, which means she was a visiting artist at a school or gallery. She has been a speaker, a teacher, and a curator (someone who organizes art shows). She has done this at universities, galleries, and art schools in the United States and in other countries.

Famous Artworks and Shows

Sylvia Snowden's art has been shown in many important places. These include the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Women's Museum, and The Phillips Collection. Her works have traveled all over the world. They have been displayed in countries like Chile, France, Mexico, Italy, and Japan.

In 2000, she had a special exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. This show featured art inspired by the death of her son. She has also won several awards, including the Lois M. Jones Award.

The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art held an important exhibit called "Magnetic Fields." This show focused on American abstract art. It included works by Sylvia Snowden and other artists. The museum said this was the first time an exhibit focused only on abstract art by women artists of color in the U.S.

In 2023, her work was part of a major exhibition in London. It was called Action, Gesture, Paint: Women Artists and Global Abstraction 1940-1970 at the Whitechapel Gallery.

Key Exhibitions

Sylvia Snowden has had many art shows throughout her career. Here are a few examples:

• 2024: The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield, UK
• 2021: Parrasch Heijnen Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, "Sylvia Snowden: Select Works, 1966 - 2020."
• 2020: National Gallery Of Art, Washington, D.C., 'Mammie Harrington".
• 2017: Group Exhibition: "Magnetic Fields: Expanding American Abstraction, 1960s to Today," Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO
• 2000: Solo Exhibition, "Malik, Farewell 'Till We Meet Again," Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
• 1992: Solo Exhibition, "Sylvia Snowden," The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.
• 1989: Solo Exhibition, "Sylvia Snowden/Paintings '89", Ipomal Galerij, Netherlands.
• 1976: Solo Exhibition, Seymore Center for the Arts, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.