Jacob Lawrence (1917 - 2000) was placed in foster care after his parents separated at a young age. At 13, he joined his mother who was living and working in Harlem, where his interest in art was fostered upon enrolling into an after school art program at the Utopia Children’s Center. Lawrence would later drop out of school at age 16 but continued to educate himself in the arts by taking classes at the Harlem Arts Workshop. There Lawrence was taught by the legendary Charles Alston, who would often accompany Lawrence on trips to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. During these trips, Lawrence developed an appreciation for historical masters, such as Goya and Giotto, but also became interested in African art, abstraction, and contemporary art through the works of Mexican muralists Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco.
In 1937, Lawrence received a scholarship to the American Artist School, where he started to work on his first history series. In the late 30’s, Lawrence gained employment as part of the Works Progress Administration in the program’s Easel Painting Division. Later, in the 1940’s, Lawrence worked on and completed one of his most celebrated series, The Migration Series, with the help of fellow artist and future wife, Gwendolyn Knight. The series was first exhibited in a New York Gallery, before going on a 2 year national tour. From then on, Lawrence and Knight traveled across the United States together, gathering research for Lawrence’s many series such as The Life of Harriet Tubman (1941), The Life of John Brown (1977) and his War (1946-47) series, which all received national or local acclaim.
However in 1949, Lawrence became depressed and checked himself into Hillside Hospital, where he stayed for 11 months and created works depicting life inside the hospital. After leaving Hillside, Lawrence began teaching at Pratt Institute, The New School for Social Research, and the Art Students League. In the 1970’s, Lawrence would go on to accept a tenured teaching position at the University of Seattle, staying there until his retirement in 1986. Lawrence spent most of the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s working on commissioned paintings like the Origins Mural for Howard University. He also received many honors such as the National Medal of Arts in 1990, and the Medal of Honor from the National Arts Club in 1994. After an active life and long celebrated career in the arts, Lawrence died in his home in Seattle, Washington. He left behind several renowned and celebrated series and murals depicting African American themes and subjects inspiring future generations of African American Artists.