Diane Green Memphis 1988

Diane Louise Green (born May 28, 1957) is an American-born artist, musician, singer/songwriter, poet, and dancer. Throughout the 2000s Diane Green's paintings and other artworks have been in shows primarily across the midwestern U.S. Diane co-founded The Hellcats, a Memphis psychobilly blues group that began in the 1980s, with Lorette Velvette. The Hellcats recorded on three LPs and a 45's in Memphis. They toured the US primarily with Tav Falco's Panther Burns. In the late 1970s, Diane was in the University of Memphis Modern Dance program, as well the Harry Bryce Afro-Caribbean Dance Company. She currently lives in Chicago IL, USA and she's writing a series of books.

Biography

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Diane Green with Harry Bryce Dance Company in 1979

Diane Green was born in Memphis Tennessee to a family of European settlers mixed with Native American ancestors from State across the southern U.S. including Arkansas. She was raised in an East Memphis, Tennessee neighborhood attending Richland Elementary and Junior High, graduating a year early from White Station High School in 1974. Diane went on to study Old English literature, Psychology, Astronomy, Modern Dance and Fine Art at University of Memphis, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Memphis College of Art and Rhodes College.

Diane traveled across the USA through the late 70's writing poetry and painting in sketchbooks as she lived adventures throughout the Deep South, Northeast and Southwest America. Arriving back in Memphis in 1978, Diane studied and focused on modern dance. She was inspired by Kaysee Cloud, was influenced by Isadora Duncan, and performed with the Harry Bryce Afro-Caribbean Dance Company.

In 1982, Diane returned to school continuing her devotion to the arts at Memphis College of Art and graduated in 1984 with a BFA in painting. Soon after Diane's graduation she was invited to join classmates in an offbeat improvisational music group called the Odd Jobs, where she focused on singing, songwriting and poetry. The Odd Jobs played in various Memphis nightclubs such as the Antenna Club, Fred's Hideout, and events at the Overton Park Shell. The Odd Jobs were included in Tav Falco's Frenzi Record's 1986 compilation of Memphis area artists entitled Swamp Surfing in Memphis. The album featured one of Diane Green's popular songs "Girl From Frayser", which describes her friendship, and drinking with Memphis art school companion Carol Robison.

In 1985, Diane was approached by Lorette Velvette from Tav Falco's Panther Burns to join her in creating the all-woman, rockabilly blues band The Hellcats. The Hellcats were featured on Swamp Surfing in Memphis from the Australian label Au Go-Go . The Hellcats later recorded and published Cherry Mansions an EP in 1988, and Hoodoo Train LP in 1990 on the French label New Rose Records. All the Hellcats music was recorded at Easley McCain Recording in Memphis Tennessee. Diane performed with The Hellcats throughout the USA and Canada alongside Tav Falco's Panther Burns between 1985 and 1990.

In 1990, Diane Green relocated to Chicago IL. She married in 1990; they had two children. During the early years of raising her children Diane created a fiber arts clothing company named Original Face. Her creations were popularly featured in Chicago art fairs, as well as New York City's fashion world.

 
Diane Green's "Bingo Mama" Oil on Found Metal 1998

While Diane was in full swing with her clothing company in 1997, she fell and had a traumatic brain injury. She was hospitalized in ICU for a week, and remained unconscious for over 3 months. A year later, Diane was diagnosed with epilepsy and has continued recovery ever since. But her creativity remained and in 1998 Diane started painting full time mostly on found objects. In 2003, Diane went to School of the Art Institute of Chicago and graduated with Master of Arts in Art Therapy.

While in graduate school Diane established a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization called Museum of Universal Self Expression or M.U.S.E. for short. The mission of this non-profit was to help maintain art programs for underserved communities, especially underprivileged people in recovery. Works, such as sculptures, and murals, from a variety of art programs in Chicago have been featured throughout city. In 2003 a publication, Call Me Crazy was started by Diane along with clients at a local Chicago mental health center. During the pandemic Call Me Crazy was revived online by MUSE as a social media art therapy group and is featured in MUSE's This Is It Gallery website..

 
Boffo Baits the Boogie Man Oil on Masonite Diane Green 1985

Works

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Diane Green began painting as an art student in 1974. By 1986 she was selling her artwork to collectors throughout her hometown. Diane's work in a show at University of Memphis was compared in similarity to paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat by curator William Olander from New Museum of New York. Having not heard of Jean-Michel at that time, Diane asked her friend Tav Falco if he knew him. Tav played a part in Basquiat's film work Downtown 81 and vowed to introduce Diane to the artist. Unfortunately Basquiat died before Diane made it back to New York.

After selling many paintings in her hometown, Diane moved to Chicago in 1990 to move forward with her art career. Since 1998, Diane’s paintings have been included in over 35 shows. In 2003, Diane received a Master’s degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Today Diane Green lives in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, painting, and musical projects in her home studio. Diane has a regular publication on Bella Meow | Diane L. Green | Substack named Bella Meow. Diane wrote and self published a "poetically theorized fiction sci-fi" novel titled "God is a Woman in a Rice Field" in 2023. She is currently working on an EP which includes 2 original songs and a David Bowie cover.

Publications

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Until the Nightingale Sings - 2015 - Daggermoth Press - Chicago, IL

Bella Meow 2023 - Bella Meow | Diane L. Green | Substack

God is a Woman in a Rice Field by Diane Green | from MUSE Publishing

Art Shows

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Year Show Title Gallery Location
1986 Art South University of Memphis Memphis, TN
2001 Chicago 7 Marshall Arts Gallery Memphis, TN
2002 Something Blue Flat Iron Building Chicago, IL
2002 One Line Collective Flat Iron Building Chicago, IL
2002 Salon De La Premier Museum of Universal Self Expression Chicago, IL
2002 All Hallow's Eve Haunted Kitchen Redmoon Theater Chicago, IL
2002 Memory Pots Workshop Intuit: Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art Chicago, IL
2004 Glamor of War Chicago Gallery Chicago, IL
2004 Invitational Solo Show Cliff Dwellers Gallery Chicago, IL
2006 - 2007 Pilsen 18th Street Art Walk Home Studio Gallery Chicago, IL
2008 Picturing Mary Orleans Street Gallery St. Charles, IL
2009 Communication is Overrated Refuge Gallery Chicago, IL
2010-2021 Cardboard Art Show Co-Prosperity Gallery Chicago, IL
2012 Stupid Monsters & White Trash Saints Peanut Gallery Chicago, IL
2014 Invitational Group Show The Rec Room Chicago, IL
2015-2019 1st Frday Pilsen Art Walks This Is It Gallery Chicago, IL
2015-2019 2nd Frday Pilsen Art Walks This Is It Gallery Chicago, IL
2015 Old Town Wells Street Art Fest Chicago, IL
2016 Triumph Over Chaos Vleck Art Gallery Chicago, IL
2016 - 2021 Pilsen Open Studios This Is It Gallery Chicago, IL
2017 Group Show Jimmy Bean's Coffee House Gallery Chicago, IL
2017 INSIDE /OUT Pilsen Outpost Chicago, IL
2017 - 2020 Nasty Women Art Show Memphis College of Art Memphis, TN
2019 Trauma Oliva Gallery Chicago, IL
2021 Chicago Fulton Street Collective Gallery Chicago, IL
2021 24" x 24" Fulton Street Collective Gallery Chicago, IL
2021 Botanicals Fulton Street Collective Gallery Chicago, IL
2021 Abstractsions Fulton Street Collective Gallery Chicago, IL
2021 Every Day Gallery Sabine Chicago, IL
2022 Group Show Rostrum 312 Chicago, IL
2022 Mother Earth Art Market Brushwood Center Gallery Ryerson Woods, IL
2022 Pilsen 18th Street Open Studio This Is It Gallery Chicago, IL
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  1. Diane Green Bio - Diane Green
  2. Diane Green CV - Diane Green
  3. Diane Green Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More
  4. Intuit
  5. Home
  6. [1]
  7. Oliva Gallery
  8. HOME - Fulton Street Collective
  9. BRUSHWOOD CENTER
  10. Gallery Sabine
  11. [2]
  12. Bella Meow | Diane L. Green | Substack

Notes

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  1. Various Artists: Swamp Surfing in Memphis (12" LP). Memphis/Melbourne: Frenzi Records / Au Go-Go Records. 1986. Back Cover. FZ6000 / ANDA47. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  2. Artist Shows High Talent - "William Olander crisscrossed the gallery squinting and frowning." Barney Sellers. Commercial Appeal - Memphis Tennessee 1986

References

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[1] Paint, Punk Rock and Perseverance: A Local Artist’s Journey With Epilepsy, by Emma Klug - January 18, 2015, Chicago Talks Paint, Punk Rock and Perseverance: A Local Artist’s Journey With Epilepsy – ChicagoTalks


This draft is in progress as of May 12, 2023.