Brenna Youngblood (born 1979) is an American artist based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

who is known for creating photographic collages, sculpture, and paintings. Her work explores issues of African-American identity and representation.

Education

Youngblood received a BFA from the

California State University, Long Beach California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

in 2002 and an MFA from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

in 2006.

Work

Youngblood's work often references historically significant moments and organizations in African-American history such as her 2017 sculpture M.I.A. which "refers to the

Montgomery Improvement Association The Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) was formed on December 5, 1955 by black ministers and community leaders in Montgomery, Alabama. Under the leadership of Ralph Abernathy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Edgar Nixon, the MIA was instrumental in ...

, a group co-organized by

Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

to guide the Montgomery bus boycott protest in 1955". Youngblood has held 11 solo exhibitions from 2006 to 2017. Some of Youngblood's first solo exhibits (2007 & 2008) were at the Margo Leavin allery She has also been a part of 16 group exhibitions from 2004 to 2018. Many of Youngblood's exhibitions have been shown largely in Los Angeles and New York City. She is represented by

Roberts Projects Roberts Projects is a contemporary art gallery located in Los Angeles. History Roberts Projects was founded in 1999 as Roberts & Tilton by partners Bennett Roberts, Julie Roberts and Jack Tilton in Los Angeles. Following the death of Jack Til ...

, Honor Fraser, and Galerie Nathalie Obadia. Her work is included in the collection of the

Seattle Art Museum The Seattle Art Museum (commonly known as SAM) is an art museum located in Seattle, Washington, United States. It operates three major facilities: its main museum in downtown Seattle; the Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM) in Volunteer Park on Cap ...

, She was included in the 2019 traveling exhibition ''Young, Gifted, and Black: The Lumpkin-Boccuzzi Family Collection of Contemporary Art''.

Awards

* 2015 Seattle Art Museum Gwendolyn Knight/Jacob Lawrence Prize * 2014 The Hermitage Artist Retreat, Englewood, FL * 2012 Los Angeles County Museum of Art Young Talent Award/AHAN Award.

References

External links

Brenna Youngblood
at Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, CA 1979 births Living people Date of birth missing (living people) Artists from Riverside, California California State University, Los Angeles alumni California State University, Long Beach alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni American collage artists Women collage artists Sculptors from California Painters from California 21st-century American sculptors 21st-century American painters 21st-century American women artists African-American women artists African-American painters African-American sculptors 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American artists 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women {{US-painter-1970s-stub