Artist Feature: Dean Mitchell
"...culturally it's more difficult for artists of color."
The street portraiture of Dean Mitchell represents so strongly what NAILED is dedicated to sharing with its viewers; bodies of work that reflect human struggle…voices that have been historically marginalized. His work is filled with great talent, and his experience as an African American artist informs the way he depicts the subjects in his pieces, bringing to light an important message.
When I piece together artist features, I don’t simply seek out the work, write a little something and send it off for publishing. I attempt to understand the artist’s drive, to see the work from their perspective. Sometimes they don’t have too much to share, but other times I get responses that make my heart pound. Responses that are too important not to share.
I reached out to Mitchell to ask him about his inspiration, the location of his subjects, and his experience as an African-American artist. Here is his response:
“The subjects I choose are the working class poor which I believe to be the backbone of America. I was born in 1957 and I grew up in the segregated south during the civil rights movement. I grew as a child watching my Grandmother base the floor as we watched Dr. King speak to America about its sinful ways toward the poor. I saw the worry on her face and the heartache. That has left a huge place in my heart to create what I do, to give a voice to the voiceless among us.
However poor we were, my Grandmother was a tower house figure in us getting an education. She believed this was true freedom; to be a critical thinker about the space and place we occupy. The human condition is always at the forefront of my efforts. My greatest inspiration remains my Grandmother and the way she raised me. She was devoted to the family and worked very hard for very little all her life. If there is anything I learned it’s that material wealth doesn’t define character and honesty. A LIE IS EVER CHANGING BUT TRUTH REMAINS FOREVER.
I realized early on from looking at society and our place in the art world that it would be a struggle on different fronts. The main struggle is economics. Finding support for your efforts is always a challenge for most artists but when you add race to the issue it can get messy as life issues always are.
Early on, I found support from my junior high school art teacher Tom Harris who was white, and another high school teacher Clinton Hudson who was black. It was, however, the white teacher that was more comfortable taking me to art show competitions in the local North Florida area of Tallahassee. The first time I visited a museum, during my freshman year at the Columbus College of Art & Design in Ohio, I knew this was going to be tough. I didn’t see any images of us so that left me with the impression of the power structure. It was no different than growing up watching Superman, Batman, Tarzan or those Elvis Presley movies. I questioned who had the wealth to support and build such massive structures to house objects of this nature. I knew from that alone, it was not going to be easy.
I still find it puzzling as my career has taken more grip that I still can’t get museum solo shows in areas like Atlanta, Chicago, LA, or Harlem. It’s puzzling to see all the news of racial issues all over this country, and as a role model in this business, I can’t seem to get traction. I guess I’m not an entertainer or a football player who makes millions of dollars so culturally it’s more difficult for artists of color.
There has been few movies about legendary figures of blacks contributions in sports, civil right figures and entertainers. Where are the movies on Henry Tanner, the first African American Artists to be in the White House Art Collection. We did get one on Jean Michel Basquiat the one who is highly celebrated, who died young of drugs. I see Warhol has a Museum in his honor and a Foundation. So where is the Basquiat Museum? Need I say more about any of this?
We have a long way to go with providing equal opportunity.”
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Dean L. Mitchell was born 1957, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and reared in Quincy, Florida. He is a graduate of the Columbus College of Art & Design in Columbus, Ohio. Mitchell has been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times, American Artist, Artist Magazine, and Fine Art International, and Art News. He has held several group and solo exhibitions throughout the country and his work can be found in corporate and museum collections. He has received several awards and much recognition for his work since 2007. Learn more about him here.