Looking at Black Portraiture

Looking at Black Portraiture is a tightly focused, informal exhibition organized around three major themes, representations of Black Americans by Black artists, the artistic process itself, and finally, how the genre of portraiture , and dissemination of portrait images has changed over time. On display are preparatory drawings, maquettes (small preliminary models) and finished portraits by a select group of intergenerational black artists, John Wilson (1922-2015,) Richard Blake (1943-) and William Kennedy (1987-).

Richard Blake

Artist Bio

Richard Blake


Richard Blake’s first teacher and mentor was his aunt Louise Clement Hoff. She enrolled him at the age of eight in a free Saturday morning art program at The Samuel Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia, where she taught. This began his formal training and study of drawing and painting. At the age of fifteen, he changed his discipline from painting to sculpture, and upon graduating from high school, competed and won a full scholarship to Temple University, Tyler School of Fine Arts. While a Junior at Tyler, Blake was awarded the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art’s coveted Stewardson Prize for their 3-day live figure modeling competition. After graduating from the Tyler School of Art he continued his studies independently in Europe, Asia, and Central America.
Blake’s career as a professional sculptor has been largely focused on monumental sculptures of American heroes including Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Frederick Douglass. For many years he was a full Professor teaching fine art at West Chester University in Pennsylvania and after retirement was granted the status of Professor Emeritus.
In 2023 Blake was presented with The Medal of Honor, The National Sculpture Society’s highest award.
Artist Statement

Richard Blake Artist Statement


As an artist/sculptor, I focus my skills on expressing the complexity of the human spirit through figuration. As a sculptor, my task is to go beyond just imitating the surface of the figure. I strive to expose and infuse emotion using every element of the sculpture’s surface to imbue these works with a spiritual quality that's deeper than the facade. My public sculpture projects have commemorated social activism and those who contributed or fought for social justice. This public platform affords me an artistic opportunity to address social issues and shed light on often overlooked or marginalized American Heroes of Color. Those individuals who aren't fully recognized for their critical roles in shaping not just Black History but the actual history of the United States of America. Similarly in my private sculpture series, “Third World Women” I portray the strong female I'm most familiar with - the mothers, grandmothers, and the females that nurtured, protected, and educated us from inception to death. In this series, I attempt to capture the strength and spiritual vitality of these women, they are submitted as a metaphor for humankind.
BLAKE_Douglass_Maquette

Richard Blake
Standing Douglass Maquette, 2014
Resinated / Gypsum
26.5"H x 14"W x 8"D

BLAKE_Large_Douglass_Head

Richard Blake
Large Douglass Head, 2018
Resinated / Gypsum
18"H x 14"W x 12"D

BLAKE_Octavius_Catto

Richard Blake
Octavius Catto (activist), 2018
Resinated / Gypsum
20"H x 11"W x 10"D

BLAKE_Pennsylvania_Black_Infantrymen,

Richard Blake
Pennsylvania Black Infantryman, 2013
Resinated / Gypsum
21"H x 11"W x 9"D

BLAKE_Rosa_Parks

Richard Blake
Rosa Parks "The Mother of Civil Rights", 2015
Resinated / Gypsum
23"H x 19"W x 19"D

BLAKE_Tubman_Portrait

Richard Blake
Tubman Portrait, 2013
Resinated / Gypsum
15"H x 5"W x 5"D

Blake-Drawing-1

Richard Blake
Preliminary Drawing 1
Digital drawing

Blake-Drawing-2

Richard Blake
Preliminary Drawing 2
Digital drawing

View the rest of this collection in-person at the New Bedford Art Museum.

William Kennedy

Artist Bio
William Kennedy

Born in 1987 in SE Washington, DC, William's creativity started at a young age, by simply drawing anything and everything around him. At the age of 10, he moved to New Bedford, MA, where his focus shifted to sports, but continued drawing in his spare time. He played on various sports teams, including varsity basketball and track at NB High. He later attended UMass Dartmouth, where he continued his sports career. Although William took art classes, here and there throughout his school years. For him, art was never really thought of as more than a hobby, only to later realize, his natural talents would lead him to be the self-made artist he is today. As a self-taught artist, William became a freelance designer and illustrator, working as such for the past 10 years. A little over a year ago, he has embarked on painting, which has now become his main focus. Using media, such as acrylic on canvas and charcoal on paper/canvas, much of his work focuses on urban culture, with each piece having its own meaning. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions in galleries and museums, including London, Detroit and throughout Massachusetts.
With many years in the graphic design industry, he has an impressive professional portfolio. William has worked with various artists from all over the world in many industries including art, fashion and music. His previous collaborations have been featured in New York Fashion Week, as well as Vogue. William is continuously creating new ideas. His creativity shines through his work.
Artist Statement
Artist Statement

Currently my work focuses on black male figures. I try to show the emotions and feelings of black males that often are overlooked or even possibly misinterpreted by society. My current preferred media is paint on canvas and charcoal on paper. My ultimate goal as an artist is to prove to people that look like me that anything is possible if you believe in yourself, regardless of what you’ve been through.
William_Kennedy_Painting_2

William Kennedy
Blind's Eye, 2023
Acrylic on canvas
36" x 48"

William_Kennedy_Painting_3

William Kennedy
Loner, 2022
Acrylic on canvas
30" x 40"

William_Kennedy_Drawing_1

William Kennedy
Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, 2021
Charcoal on paper
18" x 24"

William_Kennedy_Drawing_2

William Kennedy
Kerby Jean-Raymond, 2021
Charcoal on paper
18" x 24"

William_Kennedy_Drawing_3

William Kennedy
Sean "Jay-Z" Carter, 2021
Charcoal on paper
18" x 24"

View the rest of this collection in-person at the New Bedford Art Museum.

John Wilson

Artist Bio
John_Wilson_Drawing_1SM

John Wilson
Three Views of Frederick Douglass
Charcoal and pastel on paper
20" x 27-1/2"

John_Wilson_Drawing_2SM

John Wilson
Frederick Douglass with Outstretched Arm
Signed and dated 1979, 1.1.
Charcoal and pastel on paper
20" x 27-1/2"

John_Wilson_Drawing_3SM

John Wilson
Frederick Douglass in Three Poses
Signed, numbered 3/8 and dated 19__, 1.r.
Black pastel on paper
15" x 22"

John_Wilson_Drawing_4SM

John Wilson
Studies for Bronze Statue of Frederick Douglass
Titled, 1.1.
Black pastel on paper
15" x 22"