Marita Dingus (born 1956) is an African-American artist who works in multimedia, using found objects.

Early life and education

Born in Seattle, Washington, in 1956, Dingus earned a BFA in 1980 from

Tyler School of Art The Tyler School of Art and Architecture is based at Temple University, a large, urban, public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tyler currently enrolls about 1,350 undergraduate students and about 200 graduate students in a wid ...

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

in Philadelphia, and an MFA at

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sys ...

in 1985. She married Preston Hampton in 2012.

Career

Early in her career Dingus was represented by Portland, Oregon's Fountain Gallery, which was helpful in getting her work out to a much wider audience.

Critical reception

Dingus' work has been favorably reviewed by critics. ''New York Times'' critic Ken Johnson noted Dingus is "a worthy lesser-known talent." ''Tacoma News Tribune'' critic Rosemary Ponnekanti wrote, "Seattle artist Marita Dingus opens the Kittredge Gallery season with 'They Still Hold Us,' work that, through discarded and cast-off materials, references the persistence of cultural injustices that affect people of color." The

Museum of Glass The Museum of Glass (MOG) is a 75,000-square-foot (7,000 m²) art museum in Tacoma, Washington, dedicated to the medium of glass. Since its founding in 2002, the Museum of Glass has been committed to creating a space for the celebration of the st ...

described Dingus' art from found objects: "Throughout her career, Dingus has chosen to make her creations with recycled materials, which adds an essential element to her already multi-layered and thought-provoking pieces. Exhibiting internationally and locally, Dingus’ work is a commentary on the

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...

, and the politics of poverty." Regina Hackett of the ''

Seattle Post-Intelligencer The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The newspaper was foun ...

'' said, "Seattle's Dingus is open-minded about what constitutes her material. Basically, it's whatever she lays her hands on and includes zippers, strips of cloth, light-bulb sockets, paper clips, tooth guards, paint brushes, bits of wire, computer innards, bent silverware, pacifiers, colored tape, paint, plastic and coarse thread." Hackett added, "After two residencies at

Pilchuck Glass School Pilchuck Glass School is an international center for glass art education. The school was founded in 1971 by Dale Chihuly, Anne Gould Hauberg (1917-2016), and John H Hauberg (1916-2002). The campus is located on a former tree farm in Stanwood, Wa ...

, she's making singular use of the medium. Some of her babies have glass faces with painted features, others have glass torsos also, fat and silky forms with an inherent sense of wiggle. It's a pleasure to walk into the room and feel these forms in active engagement around you."

Artist statement

“I consider myself an African-American Feminist and environmental artist. My approach to producing art is environmentally and politically infused: neither waste humanity nor the gifts of nature. I am primarily a mixed media sculptor who uses discarded materials. My art draws upon relics from the African Diaspora. The discarded materials represent how people of African descent were used during the institution of slavery and colonialism then discarded, but who found ways to repurpose themselves and thrive in a hostile world. I seek to use recovered materials, reconfiguring and incorporating them into pieces of art where possible and appropriate, and to mitigate waste and pollution in all my work. This is a creative challenge, but a commitment I incorporate into my professional and personal activities.”

Awards

In 2018,

Artist Trust Artist Trust is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting Washington artists working in all creative disciplines. Artist Trust provides artists the time and resources necessary to prosper. Since 1987 it has invested over ten million dol ...

announced Dingus as the recipient of the Irving and Yvonne Twining Humber Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement. In 2017 she was named a Legacy Artist (Experimental Media) of the

Museum of Northwest Art The Museum of Northwest Art (also referred to as MoNA) is an art museum located in La Conner, Washington, and is focused on the Northwest School art movement, which had its peak in the mid-20th century. The Museum was founded by Art Hupy in 198 ...

. She was also honored in 2005 with the Morris and Joan Alhadeff PONCHO Artist of the Year award. Earlier in her career, she received a Visual Art Fellowship from the Artist Trust in 1994, and a John S. Guggenheim Fellowship in 1999.

Selected public artworks and collections

* Washington's State Art Collection (ArtsWA , Washington State Art Collection) *

Tacoma Art Museum The Tacoma Art Museum (TAM) is an art museum in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It focuses primarily on the art and artists from the Pacific Northwest and broader western region of the U.S. Founded in 1935, the museum has strong roots in the c ...

, Tacoma, WA *

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 ...

, Seattle, WA * "Winds of Change: We Are Still Here" by Marita Dingus & Preston Hampton, a public art commission for Jackson Apartments, Vulcan Real Estate, Seattle, WA *

, Tacoma, WA * Douglass-Truth Branch Art,

Seattle Public Library The Seattle Public Library (SPL) is the public library system serving the city of Seattle, Washington. Efforts to start a Seattle library had commenced as early as 1868, with the system eventually being established by the city in 1890. The syste ...

, Seattle, WA *

Whatcom Museum The Whatcom Museum (housed in the Old City Hall, Lightcatcher building and Syre Education Center) was originally built in 1892 as the city hall for the former town of New Whatcom, before it was joined with surrounding towns to form Bellingham, Was ...

, Bellingham, WA *"Recycled Child" (2009), a public art commission at

Seattle Central College Seattle Central College is a public college in Seattle, Washington. With North Seattle College and South Seattle College, it is one of the three colleges that comprise the Seattle Colleges District. The college has a substantial international ...

in Seattle, Washington, that is part of Washington's State Art Collection.

References

External links

* * (video, 0:50)
Marita Dingus
(video, 5:29) {{DEFAULTSORT:Dingus, Marita 1956 births 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American women artists 21st-century American sculptors 21st-century American women artists American women sculptors Living people San Jose State University alumni Temple University alumni