The middle passage focuses attention on the torturous journey. Learn about the artist and find an indepth biography, exhibitions, original artworks, the latest news, and sold auction prices. White shipsblack cargo 1995 which depicts life on the ships that brought slaves from africa to america. Feelings s 1995 masterpiece, the middle passage, is not a children s book to be enjoyed by adults. In 1972, he was the first africanamerican artist to win a caldecott honor award for moja means one. He attended the school of the visual arts, and later lived in ghana and guyana. Tom feelings has receivednumerous awards for his art in books. Tom feelings, an artist and illustrator whose bestknown book, the middle passage. Tom feelings has 22 books on goodreads with 8712 ratings.
Returning to the united statesin 1966, he continued to concentrate on illustrating books with africanand africanamerican themes. Tom feelings, artist and illustrator, was best known for his book the middle passage. Clarke provides a concise narrative of the slave trade, and then readers. Jan 27, 20 album covers, book covers, illustration, drawing, painting. The middle passage is brooklynborn artist tom feelings visionary series of illustrations about the importation of human beings from africa to slavery in the new world. Tom feelings, author info, published books, bio, photo. In 1972, he was the first africanamerican artist to win a caldecott honor, for moja means one. White ships black cargo by tom feelings and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Feelings, was chosen as a 1969newbery honor book the first time a black author received this award. Feelings taught art at the university of south carolina. Alex haleys roots awakened many americans to the cruelty of slavery. Illustrated in his trademark style of understated color tones ranging from cream to stormcloud charcoal to black, the book depicts the journey on slave ships from africa through the. Tom feelings may 19, 1933 august 25, 2003 was born and raised in brooklyn, new york. It was during that time he published perhaps his bestknown work, the middle passage, which won the 1996 coretta scott king award.
White shipsblack cargo 1995 in response to a ghanaian friend who asked him exactly what the african slaves went through when slavers captured them. Feelings was born in 1933, grew up in brooklyn, and studied at the cartoonists and illustrators school and later at the school of visual arts. Drawings by tom feelings museum of contemporary african diasporan arts 80 hanson place, brooklyn through feb. Aswahili alphabet book, both written by muriel feelings. He focused on the africanamerican experience in his work. Shop for middle passage art from the worlds greatest living artists. Middle passage african history ethiopia black art black history album covers freedom toms forget.
Middle passage tom feelings a native of brooklyn, new york, feelings began to draw at age four, copying pictures from newspaper comic strips into a book of blank pages sewn together by his mother. Tom feelings, well known artist and illustrator of childrens books passed away on august 25, 2003. The middle passage is the name given to one of the most tragic ordeals in history. I received my copy of the book in the mail today and tom feelings art is nothing short of incredible, yet viscerally disturbing at the same time. The middle passage focuses attention on the torturous journey which brought slaves from africa. White ships black cargo art by tom feelings introduction by dr. Tom feelings, well known artist and illustrator, was born in brooklyn, new york.
The collection includes the original artwork for the middle passage. Drawings from the book by tom feelings from may 2, 1998 through july 1, 1998. The middle passage is the name given to the dangerous sea leg of the slave trade. It is impossible now to read haydens poem and not imagine feelings art as an echo of haydens ambition of telling this story as an epicthe story of slave rebellions, the story of americas. Feelings s art speaks to the soul in this magnificent visual record of the black diaspora in the americas. A hard journey for the reader, the middle passage was a difficult journey for tom feelings to make as an artist as well, and he writes in the preface about his experience researching and creating the images. It took the author, tom feelings, 20 years to complete the art and storyboard for this stunning book. The cause was cancer, the university of south carolina announced. A swahili counting book and in 1975 hewon a second caldecott honor award for jambo means hello. Tom feelings may 19, 1933 august 25, 2003 was a cartoonist, childrens book illustrator, author, teacher, and activist.
Feelings was the recipient of numerous awards for his art in childrens picture books. Tom feelings has received numerous awards for his art in books. This picture book by tom and muriel feelings was a 1972 caldecott medal winner. Feelings was working on finishing his last picture book, i saw your face, a collaboration with the poet kwame dawes, not long before his death in 2003. Tom feelings, an awardwinning illustrator, chose to paint the works of the middle passage. The exhibition features approximately fifty drawings by africanamerican artist tom feelings detailing the importation of africans from their homeland to the new worid. He was a cartoonist, childrens book illustrator, author, teacher, and activist. Performance leonard bernstein, new york philharmonic. You see, i was born in harlem, and i am a committed collector of things black harlem related, plus being a former artist myself, all of which drew brother tom and i. In the quiet of the gallery where the pictures hang, you can almost hear the voices, the clamor, the din of the slave ships and their human cargo. Africans captured and enslaved and transported in slaveships across the atlantic ocean. It captures the voice of the african american past and the scar it left on the history of its people. Julius lesters to be a slave,published by dial and illustrated by mr. The middle passage is a book without words that communicates volumes of emotions to the reader.
In this seminal work, master artist tom feelings tells the complete story of this horrific diaspora in sixtyfour extraordinary narrative paintings. All middle passage artwork ships within 48 hours and includes a 30day moneyback guarantee. Tom feelings, 70, an illustrator who portrayed black. Some years ago, tom feelings completed the art for his book, middle passage. Here, in 64 powerful blackandwhite paintingssome of them harshly realistic, others nightmarishly phantasmagoricthis noted artist tells a neglected part of the story of africanamerican slavery. White shipsblack cargo, movingly depicted life on the ships that brought slaves from africa to america, died on monday in mexico, where he was receiving medical treatment. He was just a little older when he heard about thipadeaux, a black artist who was teaching at the police athletic academy in his neighborhood. White shipsblack cargo, which consists of 51 drawings, currently housed in 47 frames, created in mixedmedia tempera, pen and tissue, heightened with white and collage. The book is composed only of black and white paintings depicting the horrors of the procurement and shipping of african slaves. Choose your favorite middle passage designs and purchase them as wall art, home decor, phone cases, tote bags, and more. Tom feelings paintings for sale tom feelings art value. This books art was exhibited at the shomburg center for black culture in new york city and includes original poems from maya angelou and margaret walker, as well as a previously unpublished poem by langston hughes. Mankala oware is a popular bead game across west africa, including ghana, where tom feelings and maya angelou met in the early 1960s. The artistic brilliance of tom feelings the charleston.
White ships, black cargo takes viewers on a harrowing journey that begins on a peaceful morning in an african landscape. A native of brooklyn, new york, feelings attended the school of visual arts for two years and then joined the air force in 1953, working in london as a staff artist for the graphics division of the third air force. An introduction by john henrik clarke discusses the slave trade and places the artists images in their deeply disturbing historical context. Artist tom feelings spent twenty years graphically depicting the middle passage or slave cargo experience in stark monochrome. Tom feelings took fifteen years to complete his work on the book, middle passage. Swahili counting book, and in 1975 he won a second caldecott honor for jambo means more about tom feelings. In the middle passage, tom feelings relies on drawings to convey the horror of africans journey into slavery. Nowhere in the annals of history has a people experienced such a long and traumatic ordeal as africans during the atlantic slave trade. Feelings lived in guyana, south america, workingas a teacher and consultant for the ministry of education, trainingyoung artists in textbook illustration. Feelings collaborated with angelou on another of his books, sheba sings the song. His illustrations, achingly real, draw us into the lives of the millions of african men, women, and children who were savagely torn from their beautiful homelands, crowded into a diseaseridden death ship, and transported under nightmarish conditions to the so. The collection consists of original artwork, dummies, prints and posters documenting tom feelings s work as an artist and book illustrator.