Exploring Charles Alston: An Art-Making Workshop

"I don't believe there's such a thing as 'black art,' though there's certainly been a black experience. I've lived it. But it's also an American experience." – Charles Henry Alston

Enjoy a free workshop during Walk Up Wednesday! Open to all ages and skill levels, teaching artist Bryan Wilson will lead participants in a painting workshop inspired by Charlotte-born artist Charles H. Alston.

Although he moved with his family to Harlem at age seven, Charles Alston continued to spend summers with his grandmother. It was during these visits that he became fascinated with North Carolina red clay and began dabbling in sculpture.

A pivotal figure in the Harlem Renaissance – Alston was the first African American supervisor for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) where he supervised the murals created for Harlem Hospital – he was also passionately dedicated to empowering African Americans through cultural enrichment and artistic advancement.

Alston, himself, was inspired by the modern idiom of Modigliani and Picasso, as well as African art. His work addressed both the personal and communal aspects of the black experience.