Ted Ellis (born 1963) is an American artist and former environmental chemist. Ellis is best known for his African-American themed art and styles which blend elements of folk art, naturalism and impressionism. His personal rendition of Barack Obama in acrylic, ''Obama, the 44th President'', was presented in honor of the

2009 Presidential Inauguration The first United States presidential inauguration, inauguration of Barack Obama as the List of presidents of the United States, 44th president of the United States took place on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, at the West Front of the United States C ...

. Ellis' art business has sold over 1.75 million fine art products, and he works with a number of prominent corporations. He is also known for his community work, especially advancing arts in children's education.

Personal life and early career

Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, to a professional musician-father and a housewife-mother, Ted Ellis' earliest hints of artistic talent began to show at five-years-old. Ellis' first attempt at art was a third-grade freehand sketch of a dog from

Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York. Growing up, one of his favorite characters to draw was ''

Wile E. Coyote Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons, first appearing in 1949 in the theatrical cartoon short ''Fast and Furry-ous''. In each episode, t ...

'', and as an adult he continues to enjoy comic books as "refreshing". When he was old enough, Ted would ride the bus alone to downtown New Orleans so as to be exposed to and spend time with the area artists. He and his friends would in their spare time compete with one another to see who could draw the best designs, and Ted continued developing his art skills throughout primary school despite only receiving "satisfactory" marks in art class. In elementary school he attended a summer program at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, and later attended an

after-school program After-school activities, also known as after-school programs or after-school care, started in the early 1900s mainly just as supervision of students after the final school bell. Today, after-school programs do much more. There is a focus on helping ...

at Lawless High School. Ellis says that he knew he wanted to be an artist in the seventh grade, and credits his teacher in that class for keeping him focused. Ted worked for a time with

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...

and

pastel A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...

before settling on oil and

acrylic Acrylic may refer to: Chemicals and materials * Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound * Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity * Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosett ...

. He took art classes during high school and enrolled in four months of private art lessons, but is otherwise self-taught. Ellis followed advice from Anna Torregano, his mentor, friend and high school art teacher, and his parents, all of whom advised him to pursue an academic career so as not to become a " starving artist". His mother especially stressed university and earning a professional degree. Ted Ellis earned a

B.Sc. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

at Dillard University on a United States Army ROTC scholarship as well as academic scholarship, and went on to be commissioned a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the United States Army's Field Artillery Branch. Ellis spent the next ten years working in the field of chemistry, eight years of which were as an environmental chemist at Rollins Engineering Services. Ellis has lived in Louisiana and California, and currently resides in Friendswood, Texas with his wife, Erania. They have a daughter, Chaney, and a son, Tanner. Chaney is an aspiring rap artist and has produced a positive, parent-friendly CD about school and drugs titled ''Off the Chain''.

Art career

Ted Ellis maintained a passion for art that preceded his professional art career; he painted throughout his time in the Army and as an environmental chemist, generally working out of a studio in his garage. His first commissions were produced for two co-workers at Rollins. They had wanted to purchase the piece that he was then working on, but he refused and instead offered to paint them two similar pieces, which they purchased for $40. When he first got started, Ellis passed on an opportunity to do work for the

J. C. Penney Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Girl ...

catalog because he was too busy, but ultimately found success in a similar publication. Ellis published his first prints through Market Arts' Dan Rose in Houston, but his art career took off when he noticed that his wife's Avon boutique magazine, targeted at African-Americans, lacked any art. He sent Avon a proposal which they accepted, and through the magazine he sold 42,610 signed prints of ''Thee Baptism''. Since he was still working as an engineer at the time, he autographed the tens-of-thousands of prints during his lunch-break. After quitting his job as an engineer in 1996, Ellis competed against 500 others for, and won, a 1998 Walt Disney Studios commission for art in honor of Black History Month. The piece was used in the 1999 celebration at

Epcot Center Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unre ...

and appeared on T-shirts, souvenir-mugs, and posters.

Art Business

An entrepreneurial-minded Ted Ellis has marketed and sold his art throughout his career. He was already monetizing his creative talents in high school when his classmates and he sold their custom designed T-shirts, first to their school's juniors and

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

s, and then throughout the school district. In building his art business over two decades, Ellis engaged in

fact-finding Fact-finding may refer to: * Trier of fact, also called a finder of facts, one or more people who determines facts in a legal proceeding * United Nations fact-finding mission, a mission carried out by the United Nations to discover facts See al ...

missions in search of financial patrons and customers at art festivals, conventions, reunions and libraries, as well as local businesses. Ellis incorporated his business in 1991. He credits his time at Rollins for teaching him that "if you have a quality product and a good form of distribution, you'll succeed". When he first got started, Ellis quickly realized that talent was not alone enough after he had to approach 30–40 galleries until he was picked up by two, one of which closed down. He says that "it's a lot of marketing, planning, exhibiting and a lot of rejection". Ted's wife Erenia, a loan officer, manages his business, "T. Ellis Art, Incorporated", out of a League City, Texas studio. Ellis has sold more than 1.75 million fine art products across the country through direct sales, art galleries, catalog outlets, fine art dealers, and licensing, and has marketed community partnership opportunities meant to educate and empower communities by offering maximum returns on minimal investments. In 2005 he signed for representation with art licensing agency "Alaska Momma" with the intent of opening new merchandising avenues in home décor, furnishings, calendars, apparel and stationery. Ellis has affiliated with and had art commissioned by corporations like Walt Disney Studios,

Minute Maid Minute Maid is a product line of beverages, usually associated with lemonade or orange juice, but which now extends to soft drinks of different kinds, including Hi-C. Minute Maid is sold under the Cappy brand in Central Europe and under the bran ...

, Coca-Cola,

Marathon Oil Marathon Oil Corporation is an American company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration incorporated in Ohio and headquartered in the Marathon Oil Tower in Houston, Texas. A direct descendant of Standard Oil, it also runs international gas operations ...

ExxonMobil ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 30, ...

State Farm Insurance State Farm Insurance is a large group of mutual insurance companies throughout the United States with corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois. Overview State Farm is the largest property and casualty insurance provider, and the lar ...

, Merck Pharmaceutical,

Southland Corporation 7-Eleven, Inc., stylized as 7-ELEVE, is a multinational chain of retail convenience stores, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The chain was founded in 1927 as an ice house storefront in Dallas. It was named Tote'm Stores between 1928 and 1946. A ...

, and

Avon Products Avon Products, Inc. or simply known as Avon, is an American-British multinational cosmetics, skin care, fragrance and personal care company, based in London. It sells directly to the public. Avon had annual sales of $9.1 billion worldwide in 2 ...

, Philip Morris USA and Integrity Music. Ellis' works have been sold through

Army and Air Force Exchange Service The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES, also referred to as The Exchange and The PX or The BX) is the retailer in U.S. Army and Air Force installations worldwide. The Exchange is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and its director/chief exe ...

catalogs and were available exclusively both through Avon's ''African American Boutique'' as well as their core brochures. One of his first major sales was of an original depicting a God-like surgeon in an operating-room, sold to the surgeon. Ellis' art has sold for prices ranging from $750 to $30,000. Despite his success, while Ellis initially had hoped to build his business up to

Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States corporations by total revenue for their respective fiscal years. The list includes publicly held companies, along ...

stature, he now finds satisfaction in "helping others through art".

Hurricane Katrina

Ted Ellis and his wife are both natives of New Orleans, and much of his art along with his passion for art are inspired by the vibrant city. As a young man, he would search the colorful French Quarter for subjects to paint. In the aftermath of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

and the devastation of parts of the city, the city's role in his art drastically changed so as to reflect the story of hope and rebirth that he saw in the disaster. On the night before the storm hit Louisiana, the Ellis home in Texas was a refuge for 10 New Orleans families, 50 people in all. After the storm, Ellis helped fly home friends stranded outside New Orleans, and he organized colleagues in the art community behind the relief effort. Ellis was allowed to enter the city two weeks after the flood waters subsided in order to survey the damage to his mother's home in the Lower Ninth Ward and salvage her possessions. While travelling among the destroyed houses and deserted city, Ellis witnessed a lone man repairing his home's roof. The contrast resonated with Ellis, and he memorialized the hope he saw in the man's actions through his piece ''Surviving Katrina''. The scene is of rising floodwater that traps a family on their house's roof while the father holds up the

Flag of the United States The national flag of the United States, United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rect ...

, a flag that to Ellis symbolizes the need for the nation to come together to aid those affected by the storm. In ''Life Begins Anew'', a father holds a baby above floodwaters while another man reaches out to take the child. Ellis describes the scene as symbolizing the promise of a new beginning for those who survived Katrina and its aftermath. As its title indicates, the ''Katrina: The Hope, Healing and Rebirth of New Orleans'' collection was for Ellis about showing the power of art to assist the healing process: "The largest piece I did is about how life begins anew and how a person can find hope even after such devastation. I want this work to be uplifting, to be a fresh breath of life for the community."

Obama Portrait

One of Ted Ellis' more famous works is an abstract depiction of Barack Obama's signature 'hope' pose. Ellis painted the portrait in honor of Obama's 2008 Presidential inauguration. In ''Obama, the 44th President'', Ellis uses red, blue, yellow, and green acrylic paint to portray Obama as someone who unites people across lines of color, ethnicity, and religion. The piece was presented at a January 19, 2009, gala held by the

National Black Chamber of Commerce The National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) was incorporated as ''The National Black Chamber of Commerce, Inc.'', in 1993. It is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian organization dedicated to the economic empowerment of African American com ...

and the National Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation at the Embassy of France in Washington, D.C. The proceeds from the autographed prints sold at the event supported NNPA Foundation and the Howard University School of Communications Building Fund (NNPA Media Wing).

African-American history

In 2009, Ted Ellis produced an exhibit focusing on the theme of African-American history in light of slavery and emancipation. The exhibit, ''American Slavery: The Reason Why We're Here'', tied into the Juneteenth commemoration of slavery's abolition in the State of Texas. It was located at and included tours of the historic residence of horticulturist Henry Stringfellow, an innovator in

organic gardening Organic horticulture is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants by following the essential principles of organic agriculture in soil building and conservation, pest management, and heirloom variety preserva ...

who was enlightened in how he employed of freedmen. Ellis began the series of works at a 2006 exhibition at the same house. The exhibit's more than 20 paintings were painted with brush and fingers, and Ellis sometimes added a collage of documents. The exhibit included images of the transportation of slaves, the industry of slavery in crop production, and the abolition of slavery. The painting ''Free At Last'' includes depictions of Buffalo soldiers, Harriet Tubman, the year "1865", a mighty oak, and in the background, their heads bowed in prayer, the figures of the current owner and restorer of the house, Sam Collins III, and his wife and children. The exhibit also displayed Ellis' famous depiction of Barack Obama, ''Obama, the 44th President''. Ellis' art was featured at a 2011 exhibition at the

Rosa Parks Library and Museum Rosa or De Rosa may refer to: People *Rosa (given name) * Rosa (surname) *Santa Rosa (female given name from Latin-a latinized variant of Rose) Places *223 Rosa, an asteroid *Rosa, Alabama, a town, United States * Rosa, Germany, in Thuringia, G ...

. The Museum, at

Troy University Troy University is a public university in Troy, Alabama. It was founded in 1887 as Troy State Normal School within the Alabama State University System, and is now the flagship university of the Troy University System. Troy University is accredi ...

in Montgomery, Alabama, hosted the exhibit, called ''Our History, Heritage, and Culture: An American Story, the Art of Ted Ellis'', as part of its celebration of Black History Month. T. Ellis has been pictorially documenting African-American lifestyle, history and culture for thirty years. Ellis paintings are in the permanent collection of the

DuSable museum The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, formerly the DuSable Museum of African American History, is a museum in Chicago that is dedicated to the study and conservation of African-American history, culture, and art. It was founded in ...

, Charles Wright museum, the McKenna museum, Free People of Color Museum, and the

Amistad Research Center The Amistad Research Center (ARC) is an independent archives and manuscripts repository in the United States that specializes in the history of African Americans and ethnic minorities. It is one of the first institutions of its kind in the United ...

. The City of Selma, Alabama, commissioned T. Ellis as the official artist for the 50th anniversary for the civil rights march, known as "Bloody Sunday". The City and County of Galveston, Texas, recognized T. Ellis for the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth. The Juneteenth Freedom Project was exhibited at the State Capitol in Washington, DC at the U.S. Senate Rotunda and House of Representatives Rayburn Building. President Barack Obama and the First Lady, Michelle Obama of the White House has thanked T. Ellis for his art and giving. T.Ellis painting of the Tuskegee airmen, "The Lonely Angels" was signed by all the Tuskegge Airmen who were in attendance to receive their Congressional Medal of Honor from the President. President George W. Bush and Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi stand amidst 300 Tuskegee Airmen during a photo opportunity Thursday, March 29, 2007, in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. White House.

Educational work

Ted Ellis views education as one of his primary missions, and he is involved with several educational initiatives. He has a run a number of art workshops with children, including drawing and touching up the school mural which local sixth-graders paint every year, and joining with his wife Erania to illustrate while she reads aloud to children from books about topics like the Buffalo Soldiers. When working with children with autism, he employs a strategy of engaging the children's creativity in a non-judgemental setting where there is no wrong way for them to express themselves; he hopes to put their art on display at the Houston Children's Museum. He has partnered with the

Tom Joyner Foundation Thomas Joyner (born November 23, 1949) is an American retired radio host, former host of the nationally syndicated '' The Tom Joyner Morning Show'', and also founder of Reach Media Inc., the Tom Joyner Foundation, and BlackAmericaWeb.com. Early ...

to fund-raise for students, while "Art with a Purpose", his own nonprofit program, was awarded a

federal grant In the United States, federal grants are economic aid issued by the United States government out of the general federal revenue. A federal grant is an award of financial assistance from a federal agency to a recipient to carry out a public purp ...

to help disadvantaged students. Ellis serves together with Gregory Michael Carter as an

artist-in-residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

for an arts enrichment program at a

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

charter school, "Ambassadors Preparatory Academy". The program, called "Ambassadors for Art", is led by school administrators and members of the community through the Gulf Coast Apollo Chapter of nonprofit volunteer service organization The Links, Incorporated. Ambassadors for Art also took part in painting a bust of US President Barack Obama. The bust was one of 45 painted by artists nationwide which were displayed in Detroit's Museum of African American History, part of a project supported by the Smithsonian Institution. He has also worked with other arts education programs like the Peoria Public Schools' "Artreach", in the framework of which he donated five original pieces to the schools and District 150 Foundation.

Style

Ted Ellis has over his career created art in a number of styles and has incorporated several primary influences. African American history and

African American culture African-American culture refers to the contributions of African Americans to the culture of the United States, either as part of or distinct from mainstream American culture. The culture is both distinct and enormously influential on Ameri ...

play central roles in Ellis' art, which regularly feature themes like Buffalo Soldiers, cotton fields, and Jazz music; his Jazz works especially lean towards the

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

ic. Other common themes range from fisherman to religious scenes as in ''Thee Baptism'', ''My Father's Baptism'', and ''Deacon's Door'', to African ethnic scenes like ''Afrimage'' and ''Ashanti''. The Church-related themes in his art he attributes to formative experiences with his mother at their local house of worship, "Beulah Land Church". While he is best known for his ethnic art, many of Ellis' pieces are

landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or man-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes the ...

seascape A seascape is a photograph, painting, or other work of art which depicts the sea, in other words an example of marine art. The word originated as a formation from landscape, which was first used of images of land in art. By a similar devel ...

s, and portraits. Ted Ellis is a

self-taught art Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning and self-teaching) is education without the guidance of masters (such as teachers and professors) or institutions (such as schools). Generally, autodidacts are individua ...

ist. He has describes his style at times as "conventional realism", as a bold blend of

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

and impressionism, and as impressionist and naturalist, an old masters' style that is sometimes figurative and sometimes folk art. "I try to capture the essence in one stroke" he said. Ellis has also coined the term "Tedism" to describe his style. "Tedism" blends impressionism, soul, and folk stories to create representational pieces. Ted Ellis considers himself to be a social, political and spiritual artist as well as educator and "creative historian". "I paint subjects that are representative of the many facets of American life as I know it" says Ellis. "I like to think of myself as a creative historian. I was put here to record history...all aspects of American culture and heritage. My sole purpose has always been to educate through my art". He draws inspiration from people's memories of family or from history, and says that he's "a history buff at heart. I read a lot, and I have more books than paint." As an artist who focuses on African American history, Ellis intentionally does not approach its difficult chapters from a position of pain: "I have to be careful what I do ..there's a power to art. I don't want to be from an angry position. That's out there, and maybe they do that to shake you up and make you think. I want to be one step ahead. When you're talking about healing, you're in the right zone." As such, his images of slavery and historical Southern life focus on positive values such as family, character, and church. Ellis attributes a love for and influence in his art to New Orleans and its rich culture of creativity. He compared the city to an

incubator An incubator is anything that performs or facilitates various forms of incubation, and may refer to: Biology and medicine * Incubator (culture), a device used to grow and maintain microbiological cultures or cell cultures * Incubator (egg), a de ...

for young talent. The city offered Ted art clubs and opportunities to design murals for school and create signs for special events. New Orleans gave him access to art classes, summer art programs, and the vibrant Jackson Square, somewhere he could talk with and get to know many artists. Ellis' favorite artists include Henry Ossawa Tanner,

Edward Bannister Edward Alexander Bannister CMG KC (born 12 August 1942) is the former Commercial Court Judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court based in the British Virgin Islands. He was appointed in 2009, and was the first ever person to hold the post ...

, Jacob Lawrence,

Samella Lewis Samella Sanders Lewis (February 27, 1923 – May 27, 2022) was an American visual artist and art historian. She worked primarily as a printmaker and painter. She has been called the "Godmother of African American Art". She received Distinguished ...

, and

John T. Scott John Tarrell Scott (June 30, 1940 – September 1, 2007) was an American sculptor, painter, printmaker, collagist, and MacArthur Fellow. The works of Scott meld abstraction with contemporary techniques infused with references to traditional Afri ...

, while among his work the favorite painting is ''Sunday Worship''.

Achievements

Ted Ellis and his artwork have been widely recognized and honored in many venues. Ellis's art was featured in 1992 and 1993 for Black History Month at the Irving Arts Center in

Irving, Texas Irving is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. Located in Dallas County, it is also an inner ring suburb of Dallas. The city of Irving is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. According to a 2019 estimate from the United States Census Bureau, ...

, near Dallas.Black History Month has diverse celebrations Pennie Boyett and Laurie Barnett ''The Grand Prairie News – Weekender'' Jan. 31 Feb. 6 1992 The 1993 exhibit, ''Realism, Symbolism, and Abstraction: Images from the African American Experience'', jointly featured artist Albert M. Shaw.Black History month exhibition featured at IAC ''ARTimes'' February 1993 Ellis was selected to creation of Walt Disney World 1998 commemorative Black History Poster. Other than that, he was official artist for the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday for the city of

Selma, Alabama Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. About ...

. Ted was Art ambassador for the City and County of Galveston, TX celebrating 150th anniversary of Juneteenth showcasing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington DC. ''The Ivory Coast II'' was featured on children's television show '' Barney & Friends''. In 1997 his ''African-Americans in Law'' was unveiled and displayed in New Orleans City Hall. He was named Black Heritage Artist of the Year 1998 at Baltimore's Black Heritage Visual Arts Expo and painted the presentation poster for event sponsor PepsiCola. Ellis was the Heritage Arts Festival's winner of the Pallette Award for Impressionism in 2002 In 2005, he was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by the

at Tulane University in 2005 recognized Ted Ellis as a historical artist and mounted a week-long exhibition of his paintings in the

Audubon Zoo Audubon Zoo is an American zoo located in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is part of the Audubon Nature Institute which also manages Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, Freeport-McMoran Species Survival Center, Audubon Pa ...

's Tropical Bird House. The exhibit, ''Reflections of African American Culture: Paintings by Ted Ellis'', was co-hosted by the Audubon Nature Institute. A reception held in Uptown New Orleans' Audubon Tea Room included an exhibition of Ted Ellis' works entitled ''A Celebration of African American Art and Culture: Paintings by Ted Ellis''. Ellis donated two of the exhibition's pieces to the center: ''We Are Americans'' (2002) and ''The Struggle Continues'' (2003). He also chose the center to be the repository for his papers including the yearly donation of a piece of art to his collection there. Ellis featured in a Houston City Council meeting chaired by mayor Bill White where council member

Sue Lovell Sue Lovell is a local Houston politician who served on the Houston City Council, holding the at-large position 2 from 2006 to 2012.Berger, Eric"Councilwoman Jones re-elected narrowly"''The Houston Chronicle'', 13 Dec 2009. Lovell was a candidate fo ...

declared May 23, 2006 "Ted Ellis Day", citing Ellis' contributions as a leading African American contemporary artist who in his art captures American culture. The Austin, Texas-based George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center in 2006 hosted Ellis' exhibition, ''Say My Name''. In 2007, Ellis' work was exhibited at "Embrace: the Fine Art Fair of the

National Black Arts Festival The National Black Arts Festival was founded in 1987 after the Fulton County Arts Council (in Atlanta, Georgia) commissioned a study to explore the feasibility of creating a festival dedicated to celebrating the work of artists of African descen ...

". In February of that year he was profiled in the "11th Annual Citywide African American Art Exhibition" at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. He was a 2007 Honoree of the

National Black MBA Association {{advert, date=May 2014 The National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) is a non‐profit organization founded in 1970 at the University of Chicago, dedicated to the enhancement and development of educational and economic empowerment for African Americ ...

. Several of Ellis' works are in the permanent collections of the DuSable Museum of African American History in Chicago, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, Walt Disney Studios, the McKenna Museum of African American Art and the Free People of Color Museum in New Orleans, and the

at Tulane University. A "Ted Ellis Day" was declared for February 21, 2009, by W. Wesley Perry, the mayor of

Midland, Texas Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States. A small part of Midland is in Martin County. At the 2020 census, Midland's population was 132,524. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas metropolitan ...

. In 2009, Houston Citizens Chamber of Commerce awarded Ted Ellis one of four 15th Annual African-American Business Achievement Pinnacle Awards for his success in his art business. In 2010, New Orleans African American Museum recognized Ellis as an Art Ambassador and hosted an exhibition of his work, "Sumpt'n to See, Native Son Comes Home". Ellis has been recognized in proclamations by

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, who ...

Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 and as the 47th governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015. Perry also ran unsuccessfully for the Republica ...

, Texas State Representative Sylvester Turner, Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, as well as

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...

mayor Melvin Holden.

Louisiana State Senate The Louisiana State Senate (french: Sénat de Louisiane) is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate is compose ...

resolution number 88, brought by Senator

Karen Carter Peterson Karen Carter Peterson (born November 1, 1969) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a member of the Louisiana State House from 1999 to 2010, then as the state senator from the 5th district until her resignation in 2022. She ...

in 2012, also commends and recognizes Ellis for his accomplishments and contributions. He has been featured at the New Orleans Jazz Festival, won Grand Prize Best of Show and Patrons Award at Fairhope, Alabama's Fairhope Arts Festival, and was honored as the "Official Artist" of the 2006 Essence Music Festival. He was also featured at the

Bayou City Art Festival The Bayou City Art Festival (formerly the Westheimer Colony Art Festival) is an arts festival held biannually by the Art Colony Association in Houston, Texas. The festival is held in Memorial Park in the spring and in Downtown Houston in the fall ...

''The Friendswood Journal'' (hnonline.com) March 27, 2008 Amy Birkhead Ellis finds inspiration for artwork in heritage and the Charleston Annual Fine Arts Weekend in 2005.''Carolina Arts'' Vol 9 No. 10 October 2005 The Sylvan Gallery in Charleston, SC, features works by Ted Ellis Ellis is a frequent speaker at Avon President's Luncheon and other corporate functions. Ted Ellis' art has been purchased by celebrities like Bryant Gumbel,

Angela Bassett Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. She had her breakthrough with her portrayal of singer Tina Turner in the biopic ''What's Love Got to Do with It'' (1993), which garnered her a nomination for the Academy Award ...

, Johnnie Cochran,

Blair Underwood Blair Erwin Underwood (born August 25, 1964) is an American actor. He made his debut in the 1985 musical film ''Krush Groove'' and from 1987 to 1994 starred as attorney Jonathan Rollins in the NBC legal drama series ''L.A. Law''. Underwood has a ...

Susan L. Taylor Susan L. Taylor (born January 23, 1946) is an American editor, writer, and journalist. She served as editor-in-chief of ''Essence'' from 1981 through 2000. In 1994, ''American Libraries'' referred to Taylor as "the most influential black woman i ...

Joyce M. Roche Joyce M. Roché is the former president and chief executive officer of Girls Incorporated. Biography Roché is a graduate of Dillard University in New Orleans and holds an MBA from Columbia University. She also has honorary doctorate degrees from ...

, Spike Lee and

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. ...

. In 2017, T. Ellis received proclamation from The Senate of the State of Texas for his exhibition Pride, Dignity and Courage: celebrating African-American History and Culture".

Charity Work

Ted Ellis is involved with various causes and charitable organizations including United Way, ICLS, African American Visual Arts Association, Jack and Jill of America Inc., the United Negro College Fund, Heritage Christian Academy, and various

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

districts. He was the featured artist of Big Brothers Big Sisters 2012 "Houston's Big Black Tie Ball" fundraiser gala and is a partner of the Houston Child Protective Services Black History Program.

Views on African American art

In a column published in ''Images Magazine'', Ted Ellis calls on the younger generations of black artists to recognize the hardship faced by and the effort put in by the previous generation of black artists in order to pave the way for the newer generation to be able to succeed, and to do so with far less difficulty.'' Images Magazine'' Volume II Number 4. Perspectives. Ted Ellis. 1993 He says African-American are still not within the mainstream, and despite being the most financially minded black artists yet, that the current generation still earns less than it should. Ellis further assigns partial responsibility on an academic world that he sees as not paying sufficient attention to the genre. He believes strongly that African-Americans should value their art on their terms, looking past aesthetics, and that only thus will the genre grow and be better appreciated.

Featured as Cover Art

*''Go Down Old Hannah: the Living History of African American Texans'' Naomi Mitchell Carrier *''They Dance Alone'' Christine LeVeaux (2005) *''Harlem Renaissance'' by Ella O. Williams *

National Medical Association The National Medical Association (NMA) is the largest and oldest national organization representing African American physicians and their patients in the United States. The NMA is a 501(c)(3) national professional and scientific organization repr ...

journal covers **Summer 2007, Volume 99, Number 12 **December 2008, Volume 100, Number 12 **January 2010, Volume 102, Number 1 *National Directory of African American Organizations 2001–2003 Philip Morris Co. (''Keep the Dream Alive'') *''Worship in the House'' was commissioned by Integrity Music to be used as a CD cover. *Beyond the Blues: Reflections of African America in the Fine Arts Collection of the Amistad Research Center (''The Struggle Continues'') *2006 South Central Region Jack and Jill of America cookbook *

The Ensemble Theatre The Ensemble Theatre, located in the heart of midtown at 3535 Main Street in Houston, Texas, is the largest African-American professional theatre company in the United States that produces plays in-house and owns its own facility. History The En ...

's 2008 production of Radio Golf

playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the show's pr ...

cover.

Works

Gallery

File:Cotton2rejpgc.jpg, ''Cotton Pickers'', 16x20, original, 1998 File:Buffalosoldiersrejpgc.jpg, ''Buffalo Soldiers'', 15x30, original, 2001 File:TheLonelyAngels-webc.jpg, ''The Lonely Angels'', 15x30, original, 2003 File:Life Begins Anew, 36x24, original, 2005 Art of Ted Ellis.jpg, ''Life Begins Anew'', 36x24, original, 2005 a symbol of new beginnings after Hurricane Katrina. File:Mamasquilt-smallwebc.jpg, ''My Old Quilt'', 40x30, original, 2008 File:Bloody Sunday by Ted Ellis.jpg, ''Bloody Sunday'', original File:Walt Disney 1999 by Ted Ellis.jpg, ''Walt Disney Black Heritage Celebration'', original

Art Series

*''Champions of justice''- 1996 *''Justice: Collection of Artwork inspired by the Legal Profession'' – New Orleans City Hall, 1999 *''Capturing Our Heritage'' – University of Texas Medical Branch Moody Medical Library, Galveston, 2001 *''Born in the Spirit'' –

Penn State Harrisburg Library Penn State Harrisburg Library (Middletown, Pennsylvania, USA) is an academic library which serves Penn State Harrisburg, the Harrisburg (or Capital) campus of the Pennsylvania State University. It is one of more than 20 libraries in Pennsylvania ...

, 2003 *''Katrina: The Hope, Healing and Rebirth of New Orleans'' – National Bar Association, 2005 *''Courage of Conviction: African Americans Serving in the Military from Colonial Time to the President of the U.S.'' –

Stone Mountain Park Stone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome monadnock and the site of Stone Mountain Park, east of Atlanta, Georgia. Outside the park is the small city of Stone Mountain, Georgia. The park is the most visited tourist site in the state of Georgia. ...

, 2008/09 *''American Slavery: The Reason Why We Are Here'' – The Beach Institute, Savannah, Georgia 2009 *''Sumptin' to See: Native Son Comes Home'' – New Orleans African American Museum 2010 *''Our History, Heritage and Culture: An American Story, the art of Ted Ellis'' –

Rosa Parks Museum The Rosa Parks Museum is located on the Troy University at Montgomery satellite campus, in Montgomery, Alabama. It has information, exhibits, and some artifacts from the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott. This museum is named after civil rights activi ...

2010 *''Medicine and Art: Telling Our Story'', Yale School of Medicine

References

External links

Ted Ellis' Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Ted Living people 1963 births Artists from Texas African-American painters 21st-century African-American businesspeople 21st-century African-American scientists African-American United States Army personnel 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters Businesspeople from Louisiana Businesspeople from Texas Artists from New Orleans People from Friendswood, Texas Dillard University alumni American chemical engineers Analytical chemists American environmental scientists United States Army officers 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century chemists 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American scientists 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics