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George Gadson

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George Gadson
Born (1953-08-10) August 10, 1953 (age 71)
Fort Meade, Florida
EducationBA in Theology
MA in Education
Alma materDuke University
Brewer Christian College
Occupations
  • Artist
  • sculptor
  • painter
  • photographer
Known for
  • Sculpting
  • public art
Notable workThe Kicker (1995)
The Quarterback (1999)
Websitewww.georgegadsonstudios.com

George Gadson (born August 10, 1953) is an American artist, sculptor, painter, and photographer based in South Florida. His sculptures are displayed as public artwork in a variety of locations throughout Florida, including the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Memorial University in Miami, and the Broward County School Board building. In the 1990s, he was commissioned to create two limited-edition sculptures (The Kicker and The Quarterback) for two Florida-based Super Bowls. He was also commissioned to design an ornament for the White House Christmas tree in 2008 and a sculpture for NFL linebacker Ray Lewis in 2018. He is the owner of George Gadson Studios through which he also provides public art consulting.[1]

Early life and education

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George Gadson was raised in Fort Meade, Florida.[2] During high school, he worked as a bank teller and was active in the Baptist church. He attended Duke University, graduating in 1975 with a BA in theology.[3] He also spent time studying in Valencia, Spain,[3] and eventually earned a master's degree in education at Brewer Christian College.[1]

Career

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George Gadson working on Egret

After graduating from Duke University, Gadson went into the banking industry.[3] In 1989, he opened his own mortgage brokerage firm[4] in North Miami. In the early 1980s,[5] he began attending an art class[3] where he developed an interest in painting, sculpting, and photography.[6] His paintings, which often depict portraits and representations of everyday life for African-Americans and Native Americans, began appearing in galleries and exhibitions in Tampa and Miami in the late 1980s and early 1990s.[5][7] Also in the early 1990s, Gadson became an independent consultant, helping non-profit organizations secure loans and was later hired by the Greater Hollywood Chamber of Commerce as a small business development manager with a focus on minority-owned businesses.[4]

In 1994, Gadson donated a portrait of Dan Marino to the NFL quarterback's Charity Classic golf event.[7] The following year, he was commissioned to create a limited-edition, commemorative sculpture for NFL team owners. The bronze sculpture, known as The Kicker, was given to around 100 different team owners and other league officials to commemorate Super Bowl XXIX, which took place in Miami.[8][9] Soon after, he began earning commissions for public and private art projects, including some for Jim Moran of JM Family Enterprises.[3]

In 1996, paintings by Gadson was displayed at an exhibition at the museum of the Old Dillard High School, a former school for black students in Fort Lauderdale.[10] In 1999, Gadson was commissioned to create a sculpture for that year's Super Bowl in Miami. He sculpted a bronze statue of a quarterback (called The Quarterback), which was gifted to team owners.[11] In 2002, a Gadson sculpture of a drum called The Bridge was erected at the newly-opened African-American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale.[12] In 2003, Gadson created a bronze bust of civil rights activist, Spencer Pompey, which was put on display in Delray Beach City Hall.[13] An exhibition of Gadson's work titled, Then & Now, was held in January 2004 at the Old Davie School Museum Gallery. The event featured Gadson's paintings, sculptures, and photographs.[14]

Empowering Communities Changing Lives installation by George Gadson

In March 2006, Gadson's Lift Ev'ry Voice, a bronze statue of an African-American woman, was unveiled at the Lou Rawls Center for the Performing Arts at Florida Memorial University.[15] That year, he also created a sculpture commemorating the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of African-American military pilots who fought in World War II.[16] In 2008, he created an ornament for the White House Christmas tree. By that time he had formed George Gadson Studios in Hollywood, Florida and was consulting on public art projects.[17] In 2013, Gadson released the book Art Psalms, a collection of his artwork and poetry.[2] By 2014, he had created additional public art pieces for the Urban League of Broward County (Equality) and the cities of Lauderdale Lakes, Pompano Beach, and Boynton Beach.[3][18] He was also the chairman of the Tamarac Public Art Committee.[19]

In 2014, he held an exhibition entitled, Naturally Morphic, at the Sunrise Civic Center Art Gallery. The exhibition featured pieces composed largely from found objects, natural materials, and photographs.[20] In 2015, he was commissioned to create a sculpture of the Sankofa bird, a Ghanaian mythological figure, for Sistrunk Park in Fort Lauderdale.[21] In 2018, Gadson was commissioned to sculpt a statue as a gift for former NFL linebacker, Ray Lewis, in Lewis' hometown of Lakeland, Florida.[22]

In 2019, Gadson was invited to hold a solo exhibition (About Faces) at the Sunrise Civic Center Art Gallery,[23] and in 2020, he took part in the collaborative exhibition, Roots of the Spirit: Soulful Expressions of the African Diaspora, held by the arts non-profit, ArtServe.[24] In 2021, Gadson was commissioned to create a statue for a new YMCA building in Fort Lauderdale.[25]

In 2023, Gadson created a sculpture entitled Sankofa, in honor of Patricia Hilliard-Nunn, an activist and African American studies professor. It was dedicated in Gainesville, Florida on Juneteenth in 2023 and replaced a Confederate monument removed from the same site in 2017.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Florida Public Art - Thriving Evolving Striving" (PDF). Florida Public Art. 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "History, Notable Residents: Sculpt New Fort Meade View". The Ledger. May 1, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Gave, Marc (October 15, 2021). "Eye on Art: George Gadson's artwork is his ministry". New Pelican. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Chauvet, Berenice D. (November 1, 1993). "He'll help minority entrepreneurs get a start". The Miami Herald. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Longa, Lyda (May 22, 1992). "ART OF EXPRESSION EMOTIONS FILL GEORGE GADSON'S CANVAS". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  6. ^ Metayer, Tessa (May 12, 2009). "ARTIST CREATED WHITE HOUSE ORNAMENT". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Weaver, Jay (March 10, 1994). "Artist nets nice return on investment of spirit". The Miami Herald. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  8. ^ Weaver, Jay (January 17, 1995). "Carving a Niche". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  9. ^ Hancock, David (January 27, 1995). "VIP - Very Indefinitely Pampered". The Miami Herald. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  10. ^ Walker, Christine (October 25, 1996). "Artists' works tell stories of passages". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  11. ^ Naff, Lycia (January 24, 1999). "Broward sculptor creates Super Bowl commemorative". The Miami Herald. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  12. ^ Lewis, Gregory (October 25, 2002). "Gala set for African-American library opening". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  13. ^ Fooksman, Leon (October 17, 2003). "Pioneer, educator, activist to be honored". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  14. ^ Selgi-Harrigan, Alessandra (January 18, 2004). "Art show a window to top talent". The Miami Herald. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  15. ^ Ribeiro, Ana (March 19, 2006). "A Theater's Debut". The Miami Herald. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  16. ^ Chen, Stephanie (April 30, 2006). "Hats off to Heroes". The Miami Herald. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  17. ^ Soler, Eileen (December 28, 2008). "Artist makes White House ornament". The Miami Herald. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  18. ^ Lewis, Gregory (July 17, 2010). "Art You Can Set Your Watch By". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  19. ^ Rondone, Joe (August 17, 2014). "Creative Play Areas". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  20. ^ Fishman, Scott (October 9, 2014). "Exhibit features wide array of artistic creations". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  21. ^ Barszewski, Larry (June 17, 2015). "Lauderdale to spend $150,000 on avian statue". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  22. ^ Henry, Carma (August 23, 2018). "The Artist and the LineBacker". The Westside Gazette. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  23. ^ Wild, Stephi (September 4, 2019). "George Gadson Opens 'About Faces' Exhibition". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  24. ^ Wild, Stephi (December 12, 2019). "ArtServe Presents 'Roots Of The Spirit: Soulful Expressions Of The African Diaspora' Through Black History Month". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  25. ^ Stafford Hagwood, Rod (April 2, 2021). "Get a sneak peek at the new game-changing YMCA on Sistrunk Boulevard". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  26. ^ "Florida artist sculpture to be revealed on Juneteenth". Caribbean National Weekly. June 14, 2023.
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