Howardena Pindell's First Public Art Commission in Texas Installed at UT Austin
In 1943, Howardena Pindell was born in Philadelphia and has now introduced her inaugural outdoor artwork and public art commission in Texas, named "Autobiography: Circles," located at the University of Texas at Austin. This piece adorns the exterior of the George I. Sánchez building, part of the College of Education, and was created using ceramic ink fused onto glass panels by McKinney York Architects. Pindell, who made history as the first African American curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and has spent 47 years teaching at Stony Brook University, features recurring themes in her work: circles, arrows, and numbers. The nearly 25 by 50 feet installation symbolizes her career and underscores the importance of public education amid political challenges.
Key facts
- Howardena Pindell's first exterior work and first public art commission in Texas is 'Autobiography: Circles' at UT Austin.
- The installation is on the George I. Sánchez building for the College of Education.
- The work uses ceramic ink fused to glass panels, designed by McKinney York Architects.
- Pindell was born in Philadelphia in 1943 and grew up during segregation.
- She was the first African American curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
- She has taught at Stony Brook University for 47 years.
- The circles motif references her 'Spray Dot' paintings, inspired by Jim Crow-era dish markings.
- Arrows and numbers in the work subvert logic and order, alluding to historical subtext.
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- University of Texas at Austin
- Landmarks
- Museum of Modern Art
- Stony Brook University
- McKinney York Architects
- Glasstire
- The University of Texas at Austin
- College of Education
Locations
- Philadelphia
- New York
- Texas
- Austin
- United States
- George I. Sánchez Building