William Villalongo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
William Villalongo
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| Born | December 14, 1975 |
| Education | The Cooper Union, Tyler School of Art |
| Known for | Painting, printmaking, sculpture, and installation art |
William Villalongo, born in 1975, is an American artist. He creates amazing art using different methods. These include painting, printmaking, sculpture, and installation art. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. William Villalongo also teaches art as a professor at the Cooper Union School of Art.
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Early Life and Education
William Villalongo was born in Hollywood, Florida. His father was Puerto Rican and his mother was African-American. When he was very young, his parents separated. He grew up in Bridgeton, New Jersey.
Villalongo studied art at The Cooper Union. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree there in 1999. He continued his studies at the Tyler School of Art. In 2001, he received his Masters of Fine Art degree from Temple University.
What Inspires His Art
Villalongo's art often explores history. He looks at how some stories or people might have been forgotten. He especially rethinks art history from Western, American, and African cultures.
The artist explains his reasons for this. He says that Western history sometimes used African art objects. They were used as decorations, not for their original purpose. Villalongo wants to tell new stories with his art.
His work also focuses on the Black body. He examines how society, history, clothes, and even speech affect people. Villalongo thinks about the power of history and how people are shown. He finds this relationship both challenging and interesting. He uses it to tell important stories. In many of his portraits, figures appear from white spaces. These shapes can look like leaves, branches, or feathers.
His Art Career
William Villalongo has shown his art all over the United States. He has had solo exhibitions at many places. These include the University of Connecticut and the University of the Arts Philadelphia. He also showed his work at the Harvey B. Gantt Center.
In 2018, his art became part of a big collection. This collection was given to the Studio Museum in Harlem. Villalongo was one of 42 artists. They helped raise money for a new museum building. His art has also been in group shows. These were at El Museo del Barrio and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
You can find his art in many museum collections. Some of these are the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Denver Art Museum. His work is also at the Princeton University Art Museum. The Studio Museum in Harlem and the Whitney Museum also own his pieces.
Villalongo has also completed several art residencies. These are special programs for artists. He attended programs at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. He also worked at The Studio Museum in Harlem. He is currently represented by Susan Inglett Gallery in New York.
Black Pulp! Exhibition
In 2016, Villalongo helped create an art show. It was called Black Pulp!. He worked with another artist, Mark Thomas Gibson. This exhibition traveled to different places. It showed almost 100 years of images made by Black artists and publishers. It also included images by non-Black artists.
The name "pulp" comes from a type of cheap paper. This paper was used to print newspapers and books cheaply. This made it possible for many people to get information. In the past, images of African-Americans in white-produced publications were often unfair. "Black pulp" was used by Black communities. It helped them fight against these unfair pictures. It also helped them share ideas about Black identity.
Villalongo hoped the exhibition would show more. He wanted people to see a wider view of Black people. He also wanted to show how Black people worked hard to control their own image. Many historical works in the show came from important collections. These included the Schomburg Center and the Library of Congress.
Black Pulp! received a lot of positive attention. People especially liked its focus on Black experiences and identity.
Awards
- 2005, Louis Comfort Tiffany Award
- 2006, Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters & Sculptor's Grant
