WILLIE COLE

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  TCEF Art of Giving Artist 2022

Ed Dwight has been an artist since his youth. He is a graduate engineer, a former USAF Test Pilot and America’s first African American Astronaut candidate. After successful careers as an Air Force Officer/Pilot, and real estate and construction entrepreneur, Ed has dedicated the last 33 years solely to his artistic endeavors.

In 1975, while in the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Program at the University of Denver, Ed was commissioned by the Colorado Centennial Commission to create a series of bronzes depicting the contribution of Blacks to the American Frontier West. The series of 50 bronzes was exhibited for several years throughout the United States, gaining widespread acceptance and critical acclaim. In 1979, while the series was on exhibit at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (National Park Service), Ed was encouraged to create a bronze series portraying the history and historical roots of Jazz. The series created, entitled "JAZZ: An American Art Form," now consists of over 70 bronzes characterizing the creation and evolution of Jazz from its African and European roots to the fusion of contemporary music.

In 1978, Ed’s first large-scale commissioned work was the abolitionist, Frederick Douglass. This life-sized monument was commissioned by the National Park Service and is on display at the Douglass Museum in Anacostia, Maryland. Since this commission, Ed has completed over 128 Public Art & Large-scale Memorial installations throughout the United States. He has also created over 18,000 gallery sculptures and is represented in several galleries throughout the country.

In 2009, Ed was honored with the commission to create an historical life size sculpture presentation of President Barack Obama’s first inauguration scene. The scene includes the President, The First Lady, the two Obama girls and Chief Justice John Roberts administering the oath. The exhibit is on tour throughout the U.S. in museums & other venues.

Currently, Ed operates a 30,000 sq. ft. studio/gallery and foundry in Denver. He employs several artisan craftsmen. He is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from his Alma Mater Arizona State University and hundreds of “Living Legends Awards” from around the Country for his achievements & contributions to racial progress through his many Memorials & Public Art. Museums, institutions and art appreciators throughout the world rigorously collect Ed’s sculptures.

  TCEF Art of Giving Artist 2019

Margaret is the seventh of nine children and the impetus for her work came from her mother and her host of siblings. Belonging to a household of vocal artists and poets, being an artist in the Slade household was not unusual. Having no vocal talent, Margaret focused on drawing and painting, and absorbed the music as an inspiration to her work.

Margaret is among a group of artists listed as a major artist of our time in Gumbo YAYA: An anthology of African American Women Artists, written by Dr. Leslie Hammond, art historian, educator, Dean of Graduate Studies at the Maryland Institute, College of Art. Margaret’s Journey spans five decades as noted by famed journalist and author, Barbara Kulka in three of her eleven books on the history of Newark and its people, “Against All Odds,” “Distinguished Alumni,” and “Newark Women, From the Suffragettes to the Statehouse.” 

M. Marion Clough, Douglas College of Art, Rutgers University wrote:

“With an emotional truth that is difficult to ignore, Margaret Slade Kelley’s paintings address the social climate of our time. A figurative painter, Kelley’s concentration is devoted to finding the common ground, which surrounds social relationships. Her paintings represent a convergence of elements that are social, expressive, and personal. The works of Margaret Slade Kelley rely heavily upon color for their expressive qualities.”

Margaret’s work has been critiqued by the New York Times critic, Vivian Raynor as a “Noteworthy artist,” for her figurative rendition of “A girl in Paisley Print,” exhibited at the Newark Museum’s Artists: Emerging and Established. Other group exhibits include The Jersey City Museum, The Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Museum, Montclair State College, Rutgers University, Seton Hall University, Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Prudential, and Mutual Benefit. Bell Laboratories, Essex County College, Carter G. Woodson Foundation, and the lists go on. The Boston Public Library, Mount Holyoke College, Spelman College, Perdue University and La Revue Modern Arts in Paris have sought her work.

  TCEF Art of Giving Artist 2018

Born in Akron, Ohio in the late 40’s, Woodrow Nash is the product of sanctified churches, 1950s television images, and black inner city neighborhood schools run by predominantly white middle-class educators. The young student immersed himself in art during an era when artists sought nothing less than old-fashioned honesty in their imagery. As a freelance artist, he painted murals for local institutions, and worked as an illustrator. 

Nash’s sculptures transmit human delicacies and inner harmony. Examining the contemporary male and female physique, he explores the body’s natural form and mythology. Incorporating various styles and techniques utilizing stoneware, earthenware, terracotta or porcelain, Nash’s work is fired electronically, pit fired or via a “raku” effect – creating an “African Nouveau” trademark that’s solely his own. While the images are African, in general, the concept is 15th century Benin with the graceful, slender proportions and long, undulating lines of 18th century Art Nouveau.

In his pieces, Nash achieves his goal of integrating expression, complex symbolism, and sophisticated aesthetics to yield striking embodiments of the human soul and sensuality. Today, the work of Woodrow Nash is collected internationally. His collectors’ demographics have no racial boundaries and include everyone from working professionals to affluent sports figures and entertainment superstars.