Lester Julian Merriweather (born 1978) is an American visual artist and curator, known for his collage. He lives in Memphis, Tennessee.[1]
Lester Julian Merriweather | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1978 (age 45–46) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Education | Jackson State University, Memphis College of Art, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture |
| Occupation(s) | Visual artist, curator |
| Known for | Collage art |
Biography
editLester Julian Merriweather was born in 1978 in Memphis, Tennessee,[2] into an African-American family. He received a BA degree in 2000 from Jackson State University; and a MFA degree in 2002 from Memphis College of Art.[1][3] Merriweather also attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2002.[3][4]
In response to a lack of support and spaces for Black artists in Memphis, Merriweather, working alongside Frank D. Robinson Jr., Vitus Shell, and Jerry and Terry Lynn (or Twins) created the NIA Artist Collective in 2001.[5][6] He worked as a curatorial director at the Martha and Robert Fogelman Galleries at the University of Memphis.[2][4]
In his early career he worked in painting and sculpture.[7][8] Merriweather's collage art is often made from fashion magazines and advertising.[4][9][10] He uses images that focus on racial prominence, and systems that perpetuate social privilege, and then the images are re-contextualized in the collage with the goal of dismantling stereotypes and confronting institutional racism.[4][11] He has exhibited his work at the Zachęta National Gallery of Art in Warsaw, Poland.[4] His work is in the museum collection at the Birmingham Museum of Art.[12]
See also
edit- List of African-American visual artists
- Sandra Payne (artist), another collage artist
References
edit- ^ a b "Lester Merriweather". Locate Arts. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ a b "Lester Merriweather: Artist Profile". We Are Memphis. January 17, 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ a b "Merriweather featured in 'Work in Progress'". The Northside Sun. 2004-12-02. p. 34. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ a b c d e Detangling Unraveling, The Politics of Hair: Black Tennessee. East Tennessee State University. 2020. pp. 18–19.
- ^ "The To-Do List: Giant bubbles, spooky films and Lil Buck". Daily Memphian. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ "News in the Arts". The Commercial Appeal. 2005-01-16. p. 64. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ "Preparing for exhibit". The Commercial Appeal. 2003-08-28. p. 57. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ Koeppel, Fredric (2015-08-28). "Artists show works of creativity, morality". The Commercial Appeal. p. 40. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ Klaasmeyer, Kelly (October 20, 2005). "Capsule Reviews". Houston Press. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ "Art Review: Rococo bling in Lester Julian Merriweather's Colossus'". The Commercial Appeal. July 16, 2014. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
- ^ Koeppel, Fredric (November 6, 2013). "Ocean of Bling: Lester Merriweather's extraordinary collage at Tops Gallery comments on history and culture". Go Memphis. Archived from the original on 2014-01-04.
- ^ "Lester Julian Merriweather, American, born 1978". Birmingham Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
External links
edit- Q&A; with Lester Merriweather (2014) from Memphis Flyer