Arthur Berry papers addendum

Collection

Identifier: 551-1

Staff Only

Content Description

This addition to the papers of artist and educator Arthur Berry is comprised of correspondence, photographs, biographical information, news clippings, writings and speeches, programs and catalogs of exhibitions of Berry’s work, some examples of his artwork, and collected materials on fellow African American artists and authors. The correspondence pertains mainly to Berry’s career as an art educator and includes letters with a number of university officials. Other prominent correspondents include: Charles Allen, Benny Andrews, Herman Kofi Bailey, Sanford D. Bishop Jr., Margaret Burroughs, Samella Lewis, Hayward Oubre, Martin Payton, John Scott, Ann Allen Shockley, and L. Yvonne Tucker, Photographs include those of Berry with Richard Hunt and Benny Andrews, as well as unidentified (though presumably Berry’s) artwork. Berry’s writings and speeches include the topics of Selma Burke, Pablo Picasso, visual art, and art education. Programs and collected ephemera concern Lerone Bennett Jr., Ruth G. Waddy, Hayward Oubre, Selma Burke, Gwendolyn Brooks, Samella Lewis, and Herman Bailey. Also present is a 1949 directory of Fisk University.

Dates

Other: 1949-2012

Creator

Berry, Arthur R., 1923- (Person)

Biographical Note

Born in 1923 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Arthur Berry enrolled in Fisk University after serving in World War II. Strongly influenced by Aaron Douglas, who was then chair of Fisk's art department, Berry pursued art as a career. Berry received formal training in art at Fisk University, Columbia University, and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. During his career, he has taught African American art, art education, design, drawing, painting, and sculpture at Alabama A&M University, Florida A&M University, and Albany State University (Georgia) where he also served as head of the art department. Berry's work has been exhibited throughout the United States, including the LeMoyne Art Foundation, Florida A&M University, and the 1950 United Negro College Fund Traveling Exhibition. His works included both traditional painting and experiments with innovative techniques and materials.