Jacob Lawrence

Jacob Lawrence born 1917 in Seattle, Washington and died June 9, 2000. His occupation consisted of a Painter, Printmaker and Muralist. Jacob Lawrence was one of the first African American artists to rise to prominence in the mainstream American art world. He was encouraged by teachers and fellow artists during his teenage years to study both art and African American history. He combined these interests to produce works unique in both their subject and style. Lawrence is also known as an illustrator of books for adults and children. The oldest of their three children, Lawrence's childhood forced his family to relocate many times as his parents looked for work. Jacob's mother, Rose Lawrence enrolled him in an after-school arts and crafts program at a local community center in order to keep him out of trouble. It was taught by a young African American artist named Charles Alston. Lawrence found little at school to interest him. After two years of high school he dropped out, despite his mother's protests. Then, in 1936, Lawrence was accepted into the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a government program designed to get young men out of the cities to work on projects such as planting trees and building roads and dams. Lawrence's CCC service taught him many new skills and made him think that perhaps painting should be only a hobby. In 1953 he was the first African American artist to receive a large grant from the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the first elected a member of the Institute in 1965. In 1983 he was only the second African American elected to the fifty-member American Academy of Arts and Letters. He also received the National Medal of Arts from President George Bush in 1990. These are just a few of the many awards Lawrence has received. Lawrence died in his sleep on June 9, 2000, in Seattle, Washington, at the age of 82.