Honoring Black Artists + Designers

By Allie O’Brien & Erin Johnson

February is Black History Month - an annual celebration of Black Americans, their accomplishments, and their central role in U.S. history. In honor of Black History Month, we wanted to highlight several Black artists and designers that have moved deeply with their art and their stories. Join us in taking time to celebrate these incredible Black artists, while keeping in mind the need to increase diversity and representation throughout the year. 

ALTHEA MCNISH // TEXTILE DESIGNER // PAST

“Everything I did, I saw it through a tropical eye.”

With her use of bright, contrasting colors and energetic linework, Althea McNish was among the first designers of African-Caribbean heritage to achieve international recognition for her work. A designer of furnishing and fashion fabrics, Althea’s work featured natural imagery of tropical flora and fauna from her native Trinidad. Her designs were a breath of fresh air, full of color and life, a much needed change in the gloomy post-war era.

Born and raised in Port of Spain, Trinidad, Althea was an enthusiastic painter and drawer from a young age. In 1951, at age 27, she moved with her mother from Port of Spain in Trinidad to London, where her father was working. She studied print studies and textile design at several universities in London, completing her postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Art in 1957. Once she completed her education, Althea became a busy freelance designer, creating designs for clients such as Liberty, Hull Traders, Cavendish, Heals’, and more. 

McNish’s tropical, creative vision and contributions to post-war design changed the landscape of British Modernism, and her colorful legacy endures in London, Trinidad, and worldwide. 

ADRIAN BRANDON // PAINTER // PRESENT

“My goal as an artist is to cultivate greater understanding around the Black experience, in hopes that we can move forward together guided by love and unity.”

Adrian Brandon has always been an artist. When he was growing up in Seattle, he exchanged sharpie tattoos for chocolate milk and hand-painted bunk beds with his mom. Now older and Brooklyn-based, he uses his talent to focus on the Black experience and raise awareness of the injustices the Black community faces. 

He fights for equality using brushstrokes, color spots, and pencil sketches with which he shows the world aspects of black culture. Adrian’s purpose behind his work is to create more representation and imagery of all aspects of the Black community and Black culture. 

In February 2019, Adrian released his latest project, Stolen, for Black History Month. Stolen is a portrait series dedicated to Black people who have been killed by police brutality. These illustrations are all unfinished, and the reason why is extremely important. Before starting each artwork, Adrian sets a timer and the number of minutes he will dedicate to the portrait corresponds to the number of years the person represented lived before they were unjustly killed. 

46 minutes for George Floyd, 26 minutes for Breonna Taylor, 38 minutes for Tony McDade, only 7 minutes for little Aiyana Stanley Jones. 

To see more of Adrian’s important work, follow him on Instagram @ayy.bee or explore his website https://www.adrianbrandon.com/.

 

CECIL HAYES // INTERIOR DESIGNER // PRESENT

“It wasn't just decorating with colors and furniture. This was truly, truly art, and I created living art for people to be in."

The first black designer to grace the pages of Architectural Digest, Cecil Hayes is no stranger to breaking through barriers. Born on April 25, 1945, in Malone, Florida, Hayes was artistically gifted since she was a child. Seeing teaching as her only career option, she received her B.A. in art education from Florida A&M University and taught art at Alma High School in Georgia. Cecil didn’t feel fulfilled by her career, and decided to go to art school at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, where she was one of their first black students. She graduated at the top of her class, and began working at an interior design firm in Plantation, Florida. 

The rest was history. After two years at the firm, she struck out on her own, starting Cecil’s Designs Unlimited. Her work reflects a deep appreciation for African art forms, as well as their link to contemporary design. She is also well-known for her experimentation, elements of fantasy, and colorful accents. 

In her over 40 years of design experience, Cecil has grown her firm immensely and has become a world-renowned designer. She was the first African American named to Architectural Digest’s Top 100 list of influential designers in the world, and boasts a clientele of celebrities and athletes. In an industry starved for black talent and influence, Cecil Hayes was a true trailblazer.

HARRIET POWERS // QUILTER // PAST

"Her style is bold and rather on the impressionists order while there is a naivete of expression that is delicious."

Harriet Powers was a storyteller, an American folk artist and quilt maker. Born into slavery in 1837 near Athens, Georgia, Powers spent her early life on a plantation in Madison County. It’s believed that she learned to sew on the plantation from other slaves or the plantation owner, Nancy Lester. 

After the Civil War, Powers and her husband Armstead became landowners and had a farm in the Athens area. In 1886, she exhibited her first quilt, known as the Bible Quilt, at the Athens Cotton Fair. Her work caught the eye of Jennie Smith, a young, internationally-trained artist. In a journal entry, Smith wrote: "I have spent my whole life in the South, and am perfectly familiar with thirty patterns of quilts, but I had never seen an original design, and never a living creature portrayed in patchwork.”

Harriet’s designs are considered among the finest examples of nineteenth-century Southern quilting. Her use of traditional appliqué techniques and piecework demonstrates both African and African-American influences. She recorded local legends, Bible stories, and astronomical events on her quilts, making her art a true form of storytelling. 

CANAAN MARSHALL // FLOral design // PRESENT

"I love learning and pursuing something new because you’ve got to push yourself.”

Known as “The Flower Whisperer,”  Canaan Marshall’s art is as colorful and bright as his personality. A Macon, GA native, Marshall’s passion for floral design began at Macon’s Museum of Arts and Sciences (which doubled as an event venue), where he worked for 12 years. It was at the museum where he met his “Floral Godmother,” florist Allison Lucas, who took him under her wing and taught him the tricks of the trade while she worked on events for the museum. 

Canaan began attending Mercer University at night, while working during the day. Just as he completed his degree, he was laid off from his longtime job at the museum. With one door closed, another door opened, and Canaan became the opening night party chair for the 2014 Atlanta Symphony Associates’ Decorators’ Show House & Gardens. This high-profile event took eight months of planning, and put him on the map in Atlanta. In that same year, he founded Canaan Marshall Designs. 

Since starting his design company, Canaan has appeared on HBO’s Full Bloom and publications like Southern Living, Modern Luxury, Flower Magazine, Traditional Home and Macon Magazine. We had the best time meeting Canaan at Illumination Charleston (Check out our pic above)! His career has absolutely “bloomed” and we can’t wait to see what he does next. 

To see more of Canaan, follow him on Instagram @canaanmarshall or explore his website https://www.canaanmarshall.com/. 

Thank you all for taking the time to learn about and celebrate these talented Black artists!

Check out these pages + organizations for resources on how to support and be an ally to Black artists and Black-owned businesses year-round.