Urania Prince Cummings was born in the Danish island of Saint Thomas in 1889. She is documented as being an early West Indian pioneer settler in San Francisco and the San Francisco Bay Area. She was an artist, painter, ceramist, lecturer, poetress, civic leader, and educator for decades.[1]
Urania P. Cummings | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 21, 1889 |
| Died | March 18, 1978 (aged 88) Berkeley, California |
| Nationality | American, West Indian |
| Occupation(s) | Painter, artist, educator |
Before studying art and becoming an artist Cummings raised her three children and grandchildren.[2]
Early life
editCummings grew up on a farm in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. She was a student at Nisky School in Saint Thomas. She returned to Nisky 50 years later, and gave a one-woman show in the classroom where she was scolded for drawing, and not studying.
One of Cummings childhood memories in school is reciting the poem by George Pope Morris called "The Woodsman Spare That Tree".[2][3]
In 1922, she moved to San Francisco, California.[3]
While in California, Cummings attended United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) meetings. The (UNIA) was founded by Marcus Garvey.[1]: 170
Career
editIn 1921, Cummings began studying the violin.[2]
Cummings studied art, public speaking, and started painting after raising her children at the age of 65.[3]
It is noted that in a 1972, newspaper article in 'The Sun Reporter' Urania was the oldest practicing Black painter.[4]
January 20, 1975, at the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., Urania Cummings granddaughter Sharelle Cummings hosted an exhibit of four of her paintings.[3] In 1981, she had an exhibition at the Oakland Museum. The exhibition was titled "Be all you can be". The exhibition was from January 24 to March 8, 1981.[5]
In 1999, Urania Cummings work was part of "One Hundred Years of Artists" exhibit in Berkeley, California.[6]
Her paintings depict daily life that she experienced growing up in St Thomas, Virgin Islands; cooking, eating, washing under palm trees. She did ceramics and crocheted.[3]
Cummings acrylic painting Grandmother's Rocking Chair was gifted to the American Folk Art Museum in New York City.[7]
Exhibitions-Provenances
edit- "One Hundred Years of Arts in the Berkeley Community"
- Paintings in the Main Library in St Thomas, Virgin Islands
- Oakland Art Museum
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- Berkeley Historical Society Museum
- The office of Governor Edmund G Brown, Jr.
- Sacramento State Fair
- Chabot College
- Berkeley Arts Festival
- South Berkeley Community Church
- Allen Temple Baptist Church, Oakland, California
- The Rainbow Sign in Berkeley, California
Quotes
editBerkeley used to be like a big family," Mrs. Cummings recalled. "Everybody seemed to get along nicely together because I think everybody owned something and we—and we had pride in what we owned.[8]
Memberships
edit- California State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs
- African Cultural Society of San Francisco (teacher-painting and crafts)
- Berkeley Coop Art Association in Berkeley
- African American Historical and Cultural Society
- Arts West Association in Berkeley
References
edit- ^ a b Daniels, Douglas Henry (1990). "10 Newcomers". Pioneer Urbanites: A Social and Cultural History of Black San Francisco. University of California Press. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ^ a b c "Interview with Urania P. Cummings, artist and West Indian community in San Francisco" (Interview). Interviewed by Ruth Beckford. California Revealed. 1971.
- ^ a b c d e "Extension of Remarks: The Art of Urania Cummings" (PDF). www.congress.gov. January 20, 1975. p. 832.
- ^ "The Oldest Black Artist". search.library.berkeley.edu. The Sun Reporter. 1974-02-16. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ^ Cummings, Urania; Wagstaff, Hollis M. (1981). Urania Cummings: "be all you can be": The Oakland Museum, January 24 - March 8, 1981. Oakland Museum. Oakland, Calif.: The Museum.
- ^ "Berkeley Historical Society and Museum - Past Exhibits". Berkeley Historical Society and Museum. 2022-03-08. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ^ "Grandmother's Rocking Chair". American Folk Art Museum. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
- ^ "10 Newcomers Notes". Pioneer Urbanites: A Social and Cultural History of Black San Francisco. University of California Press. Retrieved 2024-06-16.