Wilmer Angier Jennings facts for kids

Wilmer Angier Jennings (born 1910 in Atlanta, Georgia) was an amazing African-American artist. He was a printmaker, painter, and even a jewelry designer! He worked for the WPA in Rhode Island. This was a government program that helped artists during tough economic times. His art often showed the challenges faced by African-Americans. He also drew inspiration from old Southern stories and traditions. Later in life, he became very good at making jewelry and even invented new ways to do it.

Wilmer Jennings' Family Life

Wilmer Jennings had a daughter named Corrine Jennings. Corrine helps run a special art center in New York City called Kenkeleba House. This center is dedicated to showing the work of African artists who might not be well-known.

Corrine, along with Joe Overstreet and Samuel C. Floyd, started Kenkeleba House in 1974. The name "Kenkeleba" comes from a plant in West Africa. This plant is known for its healing properties.

Jennings' Artistic Journey

Learning and Creating Art

Morehouse College

When Wilmer Jennings was at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, he studied with an artist named Hale Woodruff. Woodruff taught him about modern art. In 1934, they worked together on two important murals for the WPA. These murals showed different parts of the African-American experience.

One mural was called The Negro in Modern American Life: Agriculture and Rural Life, Literature, Music and Art. The second was titled The Dream. The first mural was displayed at the David T. Howard School in Atlanta. The second was at the School of Social Work at Atlanta University. Sadly, both murals are now gone.

During his time in Atlanta, Jennings learned how to create large community murals. Woodruff had a unique way of teaching. He didn't act like a typical teacher. Because of this, Jennings and Woodruff became good friends. Jennings even playfully called Woodruff "Count."

An art historian, Winifred L. Stoelting, shared a quote from Woodruff about their friendship: [...] "I remember they wanted to call me 'Hale' and I was reluctant for them to do that, but Wilmer Jennings always called me 'Count,' a kind of a warm title. I always appreciated it because he not only needed [to] but he wanted this kind of relationship that developed between us."

Jennings continued to work with Woodruff early in his career. He even showed his oil painting, Rendezvous (1942), in an exhibition. This show, called the First Atlanta University Annual Exhibition of Works by Negro Artists, was organized by Woodruff.

After graduating from Morehouse College, Jennings moved to New England. He went to the Rhode Island School of Design. There, the WPA hired him. He created art that showed the economic difficulties faced by African-Americans during the Great Depression.

During this time, he mostly used wood engraving and lino-cut techniques. Wood engraving uses a very hard block. This allowed Jennings to create very thin lines and fine details. His work Still Life (1937) used this method to create a shadowy look. Lino-cut uses a softer linoleum block. This material cannot be carved with the same tiny details. Jennings’ Statuette (1937) used lino-cut to make strong, bold lines and clear contrasts.

Art Inspired by Culture

Jennings was deeply influenced by his African heritage. He started adding African sculpture into his artwork. Both Still life (1937) and Statuette (1937) feature images of an African Fang sculpture. They also include everyday items found in working-class homes in Gabon, like vases, baskets, and textiles.

Jennings loved to read. He was inspired by African-American folklore stories collected by Zora Neale Hurston. He also liked the poetry of Sterling Brown. Jennings' wood engraving Just Plain Ornery (1938) shows the humor found in folklore. It features a stubborn mule, often seen in stories about mule races.

After moving to Providence, Rhode Island in the mid-1930s, Jennings' art began to show the impact of city growth on the black community. His prints included images of ferry boats, oil factories, race tracks, and how neighborhoods were changing.

Jewelry Design and Later Art

Besides being a printmaker, Jennings also worked as a jewelry designer to support his family. From 1943 until he passed away in 1990, Jennings developed many new techniques. These methods helped the Imperial Pearl Company, where he worked.

As a head jewelry designer, Jennings found ways to make metal castings thinner. He did this by using rubber molds. While studying at the University of Rhode Island, he taught himself how to cast precious metals. He used a method called lost-wax casting. He also created a new jade color for glass beads. He made this by mixing alabaster and crushed colored glass. He also started using centrifugal casting. This method was cheaper than other ways of making jewelry pieces.

In 1957, Jennings injured his right hand. He then began to train himself to draw and paint with his left hand. He continued to create art this way until his death. His later artworks often showed landscapes and realistic scenes of his community.

Selected Art Exhibitions

• 1851–1990 Exhibition of the Art of the American Negro, Chicago, Illinois
• 1935 An Art Commentary on Lynching, New York
• 1939 Contemporary Negro Art, Washington D.C
• 1942 First Atlanta University Annual Exhibition of Works by Negro Artists, Atlanta, Georgia
• 1946 Negro Artist Comes of Age, Providence, Rhode Island
• 1939 New York World's Fair, Rhode Island
• 1935 Arthur U. Newton Galleries, New York

Selected Artworks