Lula Mae Blocton

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Lula Mae Blocton is an American abstract artist and painter and emeritus professor of East Connecticut State University. A University of Michigan alumna, she is the second Black graduate to receive a fine arts degree from the university. Her work is exhibited throughout the United States and internationally.

Contents

Early life and education

Blocton was born 1947 in Ecorse, Michigan. [1] [2] [3] Her parents were children of sharecroppers [3] raised in rural Alabama, near Selma. [2] Lula is one of seven children, and developed a passion for art in elementary and junior high school. [2]

Blocton attended the University of Michigan and became friends with artist Janet Taylor Pickett, who encouraged Blocton to major in art. [2] Blocton graduated in 1969, the second Black student in the university’s history to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. [2] [3] In 1972, she earned an MFA from Indiana University. [1] [3] [4]

Career

Blocton started her career as a junior faculty member at Kean University in New Jersey. [3] At Kean, she participated in the Drawing In Any Media (1973) and Faculty Exhibition (1974) shows. [4]

In the early 1970s, Blocton joined “Black Woman in Visual Perspective,” an artist collective that included Eleta Caldwell, Gladys Grader, Adrienne Hoard, Julia Miller, Janet Taylor Pickett, and Nette Forne Thomas. [4] [5] [6]

In the mid 1970s, Blocton was on faculty at SUNY at New Paltz and was included in the Celebrate The Birth Of Women (1976) show and faculty exhibitions (1975 and 1977). [4]

In 1988, Blocton joined the faculty of Eastern Connecticut State University. [2] [3] During her tenure, she created the Art Department, developed and designed the B.A. in Studio Art degree program, [2] and served as chair of the visual arts and fine arts departments. [7]

A world traveller, Blocton was selected as a delegate for People to People, Citizen Ambassador Program of Art Educators which allowed her to travel to Egypt, Israel, and Turkey. [7] [2] In addition, she took academic and research trips to England, [7] France, [7] Holland, [7] Kenya (1997), [3] Peru, [7] and Tanzania (1997). [3]

In 2013, she retired as an emeritus professor of Eastern Connecticut State University. [2] [1]

Personal life

Blocton is married to artist Shirley Bernstein, a relationship that spans more than 50 years. [2] In 2005, Blocton and Bernstein were legally married in Hampton, Connecticut. [8] [9]

Collections

Blocton’s work appears in several permanent collections, including the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Columbus Museum of Art, The Connecticut State University System, Eastern Connecticut State University, First Fairview Capital Inc., Indiana University, Prudential Life Insurance Company, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. [2]

Publications

Blocton is featured in the monograph, Lula Mae Blocton: African American Experience through Color and Pattern (Palestine Books: 2022). The book was published to coincide with “Lula Mae Blocton, The First Two Decades, 1970-1990,” show at Skoto Gallery, New York. [1]

Her work and words have also appeared in: HERESIES: A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics, “to respond to the absence of women-of-color artists in the publication.;” [2] Lesbian Art in America: A Contemporary History, Harmony Hammond, Rizzoli International Publication; African American Woman Artists: A Critical Assessment; The Best of Colored Pencil 2, by Vera Curnow, Rockport Publishers, MA; The Best of Colored Pencil 3, Rockport Publishers, MA; Creative Color Pencil, by Vera Curnow, Rockport Publishers, MA; The Connecticut Review, Published by the Connecticut State University System; Gumbo Ya Ya: Anthology of Contemporary African-American Women Artists, Midmarch Arts Press, NYC; Creative Inspirations, Rockport Publishers, MA; and Best of Colored Pencil 5, Ribbon Self-Portrait, Rockport Publishers, MA. [2] [10]

Exhibitions

Solo

Group

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Lula Mae Blocton, The First Two Decades, 1970-1990, Skoto Gallery, New York. April 30-June 30, 2022. https://skotogallery.viewingrooms.com/viewing-room/25-lula-mae-blocton-the-first-two-decades-1970-1990/
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Stuck, Katelyn. Lula Mae Blocton: Painting with Pride. Lula Mae Blocton (BFA ‘69) reflects on her journey as one of the first Black students to receive a BFA at U-M. Stamps School of Art and Design. University of Michigan. June 19, 2023. https://stamps.umich.edu/news/lula-mae-blocton-painting-with-pride
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lula Mae Blocton: African American Experience Through Color and Pattern. The African American Student Project managed by the Bentley Historical Library. University of Michigan. https://africanamericanstudentproject.bentley.umich.edu/book/color-and-pattern/
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 Biography. Lula Mae Blocton. Margaret Thatcher Projects. https://www.thatcherprojects.com/artist/Lula%20Mae_Blocton/biography/
  5. ↑ Artist Files, 1960 - 1987. New Jersey Women Artists' Slide Registry Collection, MC 1486. New Brunswick Special Collections. https://archives.libraries.rutgers.edu/repositories/11/archival_objects/40357 Accessed October 20, 2024.
  6. 1 2 Stehle, Barbara. Exhibition News: 1970s / 9 Women and Abstraction. September 8, 2016. Hermine Ford. https://www.hermineford.com/blog/2016/11/1970s-9-women-and-abstraction-curated-by-dr-barbara-stehle
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hastings, Traci. Hampton gallery features work of retired Eastern art professor. The Chronicle. March 14, 2020. https://www.easternct.edu/news/_documents/eastern-in-the-news/hampton-gallery-features-retired-eastern-art-professors-work-3-14-2020_03_2.pdf
  8. ↑ Civil Union Index, 2005. State of Connecticut. https://sortedbyname.com/download/USACT_CivilUnions_RTR/Reclaim_The_Records_-_Connecticut_civil_union_index_-_2005_to_2015/CT%20Civil%20Union%20Statewide%20Index%20-%20formatted%20copy%20with%20pages%20properly%20rotated.pdf
  9. ↑ Bernstein Family Genealogy. Sortedbyname.com. https://sortedbyname.com/letter_b/bernstein/shirley_bernstein.html
  10. ↑ Lula Mae Blocton. Curriculum Vitae. https://lulablocton.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Lula_CV.pdf
  11. ↑ Lula Mae Blocton: Twisted Forms, Transparent Bands, 1981-1996. Nov 11, 2023 – Jan 27, 2024. Skoto Gallery. ArtRabbit. https://www.artrabbit.com/events/lula-mae-blocton-twisted-forms-transparent-bands-19811996
  12. ↑ Lula Mae Blocton: The Art Show, Park Avenue Armory, November 1-5, 2023. Skoto Gallery. https://skotogallery.viewingrooms.com/viewing-room/31-lula-mae-blocton-the-art-show-2023-organized-by-the-adaa/
  13. ↑ Turner, Elisa. Bittersweet and Radical: Art after Stonewall, 1969 –1989. ArtSpeak. FIU. https://artspeak.fiu.edu/profiles/art-after-stonewall-1969-1989-2/
  14. ↑ Press Release.Art after Stonewall, 1969-1989. Feminine Moments. March 16, 2020. https://www.femininemoments.dk/blog/art-after-stonewall-1969-1989-2/
  15. ↑ Lowe, Bia (1979). Poster for "Great American Lesbian Art Show.” Woman's Building Slide Archive.

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