Torkwase Dyson facts for kids

Torkwase Dyson (born in 1973 in Chicago, Illinois) is an artist who creates many different kinds of art. She lives and works in Beacon, New York, United States.

Dyson's art often explores big ideas like buildings, roads, and how people connect with their environment. She also focuses on environmental justice, which means making sure everyone has a healthy and safe place to live. Her work is guided by her own idea called "Black Compositional Thought." This idea looks at how spaces like paths, waterways, and buildings are shaped by Black people. It also explores how these spaces can help Black people gain freedom. Her art is shown in important galleries like Pace Gallery.

About Torkwase Dyson

Torkwase Dyson was born in Chicago, Illinois. She studied sociology and social work at Tougaloo College. Later, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1999. In 2003, she received her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in painting and printmaking from Yale School of Art.

Art Projects

Studio South Zero: Art on the Go

Studio South Zero (SSZ) was Torkwase Dyson's special art studio. It was a mobile studio powered by the sun!

In 2016, Dyson and a scientist named Danielle Purifoy traveled in Studio South Zero. They visited Black communities in North Carolina and Alabama. They worked with people there to collect stories, objects, and pictures. This helped them understand how Black communities have shaped their environment and culture. In 2017, this collection was shown in an exhibit at Duke University. It was called In Conditions of Fresh Water: An Artistic Exploration of Environmental Racism.

The Wynter-Wells Drawing School

From February to March 2018, Dyson led a special two-week program at The Drawing Center. It was called The Wynter-Wells Drawing School for Environmental Justice. The school was named after Jamaican writer Sylvia Wynter and American civil rights leader Ida B. Wells.

The school used art and design ideas to talk about geography and space. It focused on how human actions affect the environment. Later in 2018, The Graham Foundation showed Dyson's work from this school. She also held workshops and lectures there. She even created art in front of visitors!

Art Shows and Exhibitions

Torkwase Dyson's art has been shown all over the world. Her sculptures, paintings, drawings, and performances have been featured in many solo shows. These include places like Pace Gallery, Serpentine Galleries, and the New Orleans Museum of Art.

Her work has also been part of group shows at many famous places. These include the Parrish Art Museum, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, and The Studio Museum in Harlem.

In 2019, Dyson created a two-part performance and sculpture for Performa 19. It was called I Can Drink the Distance: Plantationocene in 2 Acts.

In 2023, Torkwase Dyson's art was shown at the São Paulo Art Biennial in São Paulo, Brazil. Her piece "Liquid a Place" was also shown at Tate Liverpool. This was part of the 2023 Liverpool Biennial called "uMoya".

Art Collections

You can find Torkwase Dyson's art in the collections of many important museums. These include the Art Institute of Chicago, the Mead Art Museum, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Her work is also at The Studio Museum in Harlem.

Awards and Recognition

In 2016, Dyson joined the board of the Architectural League of New York. In 2019, she won the Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize from the Studio Museum. She also received the Anonymous Was A Woman Award for her painting.

Dyson has received many other awards and grants. These include the Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Grant and the Nancy Graves Grant for Visual Artists.

Lectures and Discussions

Torkwase Dyson has shared her knowledge at many universities and art schools. In 2017, she taught at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. She has also been a visiting critic at Yale School of Art.

She often gives talks and joins discussions with other artists, writers, and environmentalists.

Recent Talks

• 2022: Pace Gallery, New York, NY, Torkwase Dyson in Conversation with Mario Gooden: On the History of Infrastructure in Dyson's Practice, December 7
• 2021: Pace Gallery, London, UK, Torkwase Dyson: Liquid A Place, October 7, 9, 11
• 2018: Graham Foundation, Chicago, IL, Christina Sharpe and Torkwase Dyson in Conversation, June 14
• 2018: Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS, Race, Space, and Abstraction in the American South, February 17
• 2018: Drawing Center, New York, NY, Wynter-Wells Drawing School for Environmental Justice Panel Discussion, March 1