Mildred Thompson: 1936-2003
String Theory Series, 1999.
About:
Mildred Thompson was born in 1936 in Jacksonville, Florida. She earned her Bachelor of Art degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1957 under the tutelage and mentorship of pioneering African American art historian James Porter. Thompson also attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine (1956), earned a Max Beckmann Scholarship to study at The Brooklyn Museum School (1957-58), and attended the Art Academy of Hamburg (Hochschule für bildende Künste) from 1958-61. In 1959, she participated in a residency at Castle Roccassinibaldi, Italy, and in 1961 and 1962 was also selected for the prestigious MacDowell Colony residency in New Hampshire.
Rebirth of Light, 1983
My work in the visual arts is, and always has been, a continuous search for understanding. It is an expression of purpose and reflects a personal interpretation of the universe. Each new creation presents a visual manifestation of the sum total of this life long investigation and serves as a reaffirmation of my commitment to the arts. This exploration has led me through the various techniques of painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking and photography.
Mildred Thompson
Rebirth of Light, 1984
Mildred Thompson (1936-2003) was an American artist whose work spanned over four decades and multiple genres within the fine arts. During her career she also made significant contributions to the fields of creative writing and journalism, filmmaking, music and digital media, and was a devoted educator. In the early 1970s Thompson consciously eschewed representational imagery to exclusively champion the language of abstraction. Her practice transcended ever-changing art world trends and prevailing narratives prescribed by her generation, race and gender. She instead chose freedom of exploration, defying norms and refusing to be categorized. Thompson’s was a personal visual language inspired by theories and systems of science and music. She sought to interpret and visualize elements and experiences invisible to the naked eye, with a particular affinity for the subjects of time, space and sound. (texts website artist)
Third Octave, 1983
Given the groundswell of renewed interest in her work, this ever-developing website serves to reintroduce Mildred Thompson’s unique brand of abstraction to artists, historians, educators, collectors and the broader public.