John Woodrow Wilson

Summary

John Woodrow Wilson (1922–2015) was an American lithographer, sculptor, painter, muralist, and art teacher whose art was driven by the political climate of his time. Wilson was best known for his works portraying themes of social justice and equality.

John Woodrow Wilson
Wilson in 1986
Born1922
DiedJan 22, 2015[1]
NationalityAmerican
EducationTufts University

Family and early life edit

Wilson, commonly referred to by his professional name John Woodrow Wilson, was born the second of five children in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1922.[2]) Both of Wilson's parents were immigrants from British Guiana, a British colony in South America that is known today as Guyana.[3] They emigrated to America a few years before Wilson was born.[3] British Guiana had a plantation-based economy with sugar being the main good produced.[3] In the colony, Wilson's parents came from a middle-class background.[3] Wilson's maternal grandfather managed a refining plant in British Guiana and the sugar produced at his plant was so pure that the owners of the plantation, who lived in Great Britain, received national prizes almost annually.[3] Wilson's maternal grandfather was transferred to Jamaica, so all of his children except for Wilson's mother, who at that point was married and already had their first daughter, relocated there.[3] Wilson's father stayed in British Guiana because he had been trained as a technician in the sugar industry.[3] One of Wilson's paternal great aunts died when his family was still living in British Guiana.[3] The woman was very rich and left each of her nieces and nephews a portion of her wealth.[3] Wilson recalls his father telling him this woman "was so wealthy, she left money to her cats."[3] His father used the money his aunt gave him to open up a variety store.[3]

Wilson was very aware of the racial inequalities that surrounded him, even at a very young age.[4] In a 2012 interview, Wilson talked about remembering the newspapers his father would read, like The Amsterdam News, which had images of lynchings in "every other issue."[1] A mix of his political views and his intense interest in art led him create the important political statement pieces that he makes through the later years in his life.[4]

Education and career edit

In Boston, Wilson took art classes at Roxbury Memorial High School and was the art editor of the school newspaper.[2] He also took many classes at the Boys Club from teachers who were students at the school of the Museum of Fine Arts.[2] After getting his work shown to faculty at the school via his teachers from the Boys Club, he received a full scholarship to the Museum of Fine Arts School, eventually graduating with high honors in 1945.[4] In 1947, Wilson graduated from Tufts University while teaching at Boris Mirski School of Modern Art.[4] He won the James William Paige Traveling Fellowship and moved to Paris soon after.[5] Wilson lived in Paris through the MFA fellowship and studied with the modern artist Fernand Léger.[3] After returning from Paris, he joined the faculty of the museum school in 1949 where he was to teach second-year painting and some elementary courses.[6]

In 1950, he married Julie Kowtich, a teacher who had graduated from Brooklyn College.[7] Wilson and Kowitch were an interracial couple and were forced to drive in separate cars when they traveled in the Southern United States.[1] He won a John Hay Whitney fellowship, and the two lived in Mexico for five years. Wilson looked up to Mexican painter José Clemente Orozco, whose work focused primarily on political murals that inspired Wilson. Orozco had already passed away when Wilson arrived.[1] In Mexico, Wilson was drawn to mural paintings due to their accessibility to anyone regardless of one's means to get into museums or collections.[3]

Artist Elizabeth Catlett was also living, painting and sculpting there. She was studying printmaking at the Taller de Gráfica Popular (Graphic Arts Workshop), where Wilson also studied the technique.[8] Chicago artist Margaret Burroughs wrote about visiting them both in 1951.[9] When Wilson returned to the United States in 1956, he made artwork for labor unions in Chicago and taught for a bit in New York City before returning to Massachusetts in 1964 to teach at Boston University.[1] He stayed there until 1986.[7]

Julie Kowitch says that her husband, "felt that his main objective as an artist was to deliver a message to people about black dignity, about racial justice, about poor people trying to get a better deal in life."[1] Wilson's daughter, Erica, said that he drew wherever he went and whatever he could find. For example, when driving to New York City with Erica and her son, Wilson drew a series of sketches of his infant grandson.[1]

Exhibitions and awards edit

By the time he was in his early 20s, Wilson was winning awards for his work. Soon after he left Tufts, the Museum of Fine Arts added a lithograph "Streetcar Scene" from 1945 into its collection.[7] The image was used for the cover of the exhibition "Alone in a Crowd" in 1992.[10] Smith College purchased "My Brother (1942)" while Wilson was a student at the museum school. It was part of a traveling exhibition that came to the college.[11]

In 1963 artist/educator, Hale Woodruff chose him as one of 24 Black artists to be featured in Ebony magazine's special edition commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. The article noted that he belonged to the "nation's elite of portrait painters."[12] He was a fixture in the annual Atlanta University "Exhibition of Paintings, Sculpture, and Prints by Negro Artists of America," which ran from 1942 to 1970. The exhibition, commonly referred to as the "Atlanta Annual" and founded by Woodruff, pulled together works by Black artists from across the United States at a time when white galleries and museums refused to show their works.[13][14] In the early 1970s, some works in the collection were shown in a traveling exhibit.[14][15][16]

At the annuals, the winning artists received payment for their submissions, which became part of the university's art collection. Among Wilson's awards and participation:

1943 - John Hope Award for his oil "Black Soldier."[17][18]

1944 – First Atlanta University Award for "Roxbury Landscape" and the lithograph "Adolescence."[19][20]

1945 – Purchase Award for "Portrait of Clair."[21][22] He received a large number of popular votes for "Black Despair" but did not win the top prize.[23]

1946 – Exhibited but no win.[24]

1947 – First Atlanta University Purchase Award for the oil painting "Church."[25][26]

1948 – Exhibited but no win.[27]

1949 – exhibited but no win.[28]

1950 – Honorable mention for the lithograph "Boulevard de Strasbourg."[29][30]

1951 – Print prize for the lithograph "Trabajador" and runner-up for the Purchase Prize for "Black Despair."[31][32]

1952 – Graphic arts prize for the lithograph "LaCalle."[33]

1954 - Purchase Award for the watercolor "Roxbury Rooftops" and first place in prints for "Mother and Child."[34]

1955 – Top cash award for "Negro Woman."[35][36]

1957 – Second prize in watercolors for "Black Despair" and first prize in prints for "Mother and Child."[37][38]

1960 – Honorable mention in the watercolors category.[39][40]

1961 – Honorable mention in "figures in oil" for "Man Resting" and "landscape in oil" for "Mirmande."[41][42]

1964 - Honorable mention in graphics category for "Urbanites."[43][44]

1965 – First prize in graphics category for "Father and Child."[45]

1966 – Second prize in graphics category for "City Child" and honorable mention for "Black Boy."[46]

1969 – First prize in graphics for "Child with father."[47]

In 1948, his work was among those chosen by Woodruff for a collection being formed by IBM. Others included Romare Bearden, Charles Alston, Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis, Frank Neal, Selma Burke, Ellis Wilson, Dox Thrash and photographer Roy DeCarava.[48] In 1969, he was among artists in an exhibit at the Studio Museum of Harlem titled "Fourteen Black Artists From Boston." The works were first shown at the National Center of Afro-American Artists in Boston and the Rose Art Museum of Brandeis University in Waltham, MA.[49][50]

In 1976, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art curated a traveling show titled "Two Centuries of Black American Art" where Wilson was represented.[51][52] His work "Street Children" was entered in the Black Enterprise Winter Art Exhibition in 1978. The works were hung in the magazine's offices.[53][54] In 1992, his drawing "Streetcar Scene (1945)" was featured on the cover of the catalog for the traveling exhibit "Alone in a Crowd: Prints by  African-American Artists of the 1930s-1940s" of works in the collection of Reba and Dave Williams. The exhibit was shown at the Brooklyn Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Baltimore Museum of Art, among others.[10][55][56][57]

In 1995, Wilson had an exhibit of his own work at the Museum of Fine Arts called "Dialogue: John Wilson/Joseph Norman".[1] The exhibit consisted of many of Wilson's sculptures and sketches.[1] In 1996, he was represented in a traveling exhibit titled "In the Spirit of Resistance: African-American Modernists and the Mexican Muralist School" that focused on the influence of Mexico's graphics workshop on Black artists during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Also included were works by Mexican artists and photos of murals by both groups. The exhibit was sponsored by the Studio Museum of Harlem and Mexican Museum in San Francisco.[58][59]

In 2003, he was included in an exhibition of artwork from the Atlanta University collection on display at the Clark Atlanta University Art Galleries and titled "Remembering the Atlanta University Art Annuals."[60]

In 2004, he received the James Van Der Zee award from the Brandywine Workshop in Philadelphia. "I can't remember when I was not doing some sort of visual art," he said at the time. "This career has been very satisfying, gratifying and there is nothing else I could conceive of myself doing."[61][62] In 20l9, the Yale University Art Gallery mounted a traveling exhibit titled "Reckoning with 'The Incident': John Wilson's Studies for a Lynching Mural', which focused on Wilson's 1952 mural that he painted while at La Esmeralda, the national school of art in Mexico. The mural, which no longer exists, shows the lynching of a Black man by the Ku Klux Klan as a Black family looks on. The exhibit contained his sketches, painted studies and related prints and drawings.[63]

Major works edit

Political pieces edit

Wilson was championed for his ability to fuse his artistic creativity with his passion for politics and social justice. Wilson's most famous and viewed work is the bronze bust of Martin Luther King Jr. that stands three feet tall in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C.. He won the sculptural commission in 1985 as part of a national competition to create a memorial statue of the civil rights leader.[1] The bust was revealed in the Rotunda on January 15, 1986, which would have been King's 57th birthday.[1] Although both men have ties to Boston University, they never met. In the original etching, Wilson portrays King's physical presence as a haunting vulnerability coupled with unwavering strength, while symbolizing King's assassination through the crosshairs of vertical and horizontal lines that intersect at King's throat that effectively silence the voice of the prolifically outspoken equal rights activist.[1]

One of Wilson's most overtly politically charged works, a lithograph called "Deliver Us From Evil," was created while he was a student of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in 1943.[4] In this piece, he comments on the paradoxical nature of World War II, critiquing the United States for fighting for democratic rights in Europe while simultaneously denying African-American citizens those same rights.[1] The left side of the image shows a concentration camp, Nazi soldiers, and Jewish victims, while the right side shows run-down tenement buildings, a lynch mob, and African-American victims.[1] However, despite his criticism of the American government, he did support the war in theory, as he was against fascism and anti-Semitism.[3][64]

Another critical work by Wilson is the lithograph "Streetcar Scene," created in 1945.[1] In this scene, a lone Black man sits on a streetcar, surrounded by white women.[1] While all of the other passengers seem to be absentmindedly looking away into different directions, the Black man looks directly at the viewer.[1] This creates the effect of identification between the viewer and the subject, as it begs the viewer to "ponder the burdens and responsibilities of his wartime life."[1] With this work, Wilson is criticizing Franklin D. Roosevelt's integration of factories.[1] Wilson was quoted saying, "I resented the fact that almost everyone on my block was on welfare until they needed us in the shipyards and factories."[1] The subject of this lithograph is one of the Boston Navy Yard workers, wearing workman's coveralls, a cap, and holding a metal lunchbox, riding alongside fashionable women.[65] The rich color palette is made up of mostly reds, whites, and browns, evoking a feeling of warmth from the painting.[1]

Wilson experimented with other mediums in his earlier years, such as his 1946 ink drawing "Man with Cigarette."[1] The bold lines and shadows in this work in addition to the diagonal composition of the bust create a sense of urgency.[1] The man depicted also seems to share the same sensitive expression that is characteristic of Wilson's portraits, which is used to express Wilson's concerns regarding the African American experience in the United States at the time.[1] He described the country as "a world that promised freedom and opportunity for anyone who worked hard… but clearly if you are black you realize that these nice sounding phrases did not include you."

Wilson's method for creating profound art can be seen in the sketches he made in preparation for the bust of King.[1] The original drawing has been in Boston's Museum of Fine Arts since 1997.[1] When a request was made to display the drawing in another museum for an extended exhibition, Wilson decided to create a print of it rather than expose the original work to the intense lighting in the exhibition space. The result was a "sensitive" depiction of the civil rights hero, which "focuses on King's face, manipulating the rich lights and darks of the etching by scraping and burnishing the plate." He humanizes King by tilting his head and by giving the face "an almost weary expression" that "emphasizes King's profound humanity in his struggle for equality." Eventually, the Museum of Fine Arts purchased this print, along with the copper plate and the nineteen working proofs that Wilson made.[1] This group of works make it possible to understand Wilson's process for making art and are effective in teaching students about printmaking techniques. Wilson's raw and powerful depictions of Martin Luther King, Jr. convey his indirect involvement with the civil rights movement. Even though he did not actively participate in the movement, he did remark that King was "a very important symbol" in his life.[1]

Wilson illustrated several children's books, including Jean C. George's "Spring Comes to the Ocean," 1965; Joan Lexau's "Striped Ice Cream," 1968; Willis Oliver's "New Worlds of Reading," 1959, and one by his wife titled "Becky" in 1967. "Striped Ice Cream" and "Malcolm X" can be found at the Princeton University Library. Additionally, Wilson's drawing "Steel Worker" was used for the cover design of The Reporter on July 23, 1959, and is currently housed in the Princeton University Art Museum.[64] In 1969, one of his paintings was among 27 chosen by author June Jordan for her book of poetry "Who Look At Me."[66]

Influences edit

In 1952, Wilson made the lithograph "The Trial" depicting a young black man awaiting a pronouncement from three looming white judges.[4] This lithograph is now in the Brooklyn Museum. Wilson was very interested by murals and was influenced by the painted José Clemente Orozco. He saw murals as a way to reach a wider, more diverse audience who did not have the means to visit art museums.[4]

Many artists of the Harlem Renaissance intended their art to make people happy and proud.[1] But Wilson, coming a generation later and living through the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, wanted his art to convey a message and make people think.[1] In an interview with the Boston Globe in 1986, Wilson explained why he sculpted the bust of King in the way that he did.[1] He said "the head is tilted forward, as if to communicate with the viewer. I hope the sculpture will stimulate people to learn more about King, to perpetuate his struggle."[1] When Wilson described the bust, he went beyond the physical markings of the head, saying "to [him] the eloquence of the piece is not only in the face, but in the rhythms of the gesture."[1]

Praise and legacy edit

Wilson died on Thursday, January 22, 2015, at his home in Brookline, MA. He was 92 years old.[2] His art continues to make an impact.[1] In Wilson's career survey, "Eternal Presence" of 2012, Boston Globe art critic Sebastian Smee said he is one of "Boston's most esteemed and accomplished artists."[1] Following Wilson's intent to spark political discussion, Smee stated that Wilson's sketches and charcoal drawings are "an impulse toward clarity, toward truth."[1] Wilson helped found a museum called the National Center of Afro-American Artists (NCAAA) in Roxbury, where he was born.[67] In this museum is an exhibit honoring his life and work titled "John Wilson Remembered 1923–2015."[67] This temporary exhibit included many of his sculptures and graphic art.[67]

His work was featured around Boston throughout his life, including pieces of art in the Museum of Fine Arts and at Martha Richardson Fine Art.[1]

Wilson's legacy of artistic practice has been carried on by his family. His grandson, Zack Wilson is an upcoming and acclaimed Hip-hop and Jazz musician performing under the Artist name 'Diz,' who is currently based in Boston, Massachusetts. Diz's work is accessible through various music services, and has amassed over one million streams total over his few years releasing music.

Selected Collections edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak Marquard, Bryan (January 26, 2015). "John Wilson, at 92; Artist Spurred by Social Realities". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "John Woodrow Wilson". Brezniak Rodman Funeral Directors. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Oral History Interview with John Wilson, 1993 March 11-1994 August 16". Smithsonian Archives of American Art. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g LeFalle-Collins, Lizzetta (1997). Wilson, John. Detroit: St. James Press. pp. 581–584. ISBN 1-55862-220-9.
  5. ^ "John Wilson". Swann Auction Galleries. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  6. ^ "Appoint Artist To School Staff". The Chicago Defender. 22 October 1949. p. 4. ProQuest 492883447.
  7. ^ a b c d Blanding, Michael (2022-01-14). "Sculpting a Legacy: The Art and Impact of John Wilson". Tufts Now. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  8. ^ "John Wilson: sculpture with related prints and drawings". Martha Richardson Fine Art. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  9. ^ Burroughs, Margaret (18 September 1951). "A Woman's Viewpoint: Negro Artists Active in Mexico". Philadelphia Tribune. p. 6. ProQuest 532016183.
  10. ^ a b "'Alone in a Crowd' at BMA". Afro-American. 14 January 1995. p. A7. ProQuest 2665672887.
  11. ^ a b "John Wilson's My Brother: Seeking Truth in Art". Smith College Museum of Art. 2022-07-18. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  12. ^ "Leading Negro Artists". Google Books. September 1963. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  13. ^ "Atlanta Univ. offers $1,400 to race artists". Atlanta Daily World. 6 February 1945. p. 1. ProQuest 490766756.
  14. ^ a b "Carnegie Institute Will Present Afro Art". New Pittsburgh Courier. 17 January 1970. p. 18. ProQuest 202523558.
  15. ^ "High Museum to exhibit A.U.'s art collection". Atlanta Daily World. 9 November 1973. p. 3. ProQuest 491405306.
  16. ^ "Largest black collection at DuSable Museum". Chicago Defender. 7 February 1976. p. A6. ProQuest 2538776069.
  17. ^ "Prize Paintings Still On Exhibit At A. U. Gallery". Atlanta Daily World. 18 April 1943. p. 2. ProQuest 490705173.
  18. ^ "Exhibit Of Paintings To Open At 4 Today: Prize-Winning Work Hangs in A. U. Gallery 'Black Soldier' Takes First Place In Competition". Atlanta Daily World. 4 April 1943. p. 5. ProQuest 490709355.
  19. ^ "New York Youth, 16, Wins Top Award in AU Art Show". Afro-American. 8 April 1944. p. 6. ProQuest 531481322.
  20. ^ "Youth Wins Top Award In A. U. Art Exhibit". Atlanta Daily World. 2 April 1944. p. 5. ProQuest 490734951.
  21. ^ "NYers Capture Art Prizes At A.U. Exhibition: Richmond Barthe, Others Win Awards At Fourth Annual Atlanta U. Exhibit". New York Amsterdam News. 14 April 1945. p. 12B. ProQuest 225958695.
  22. ^ "Atlanta University Bulletin". July 1945. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  23. ^ "Unknown Fighter Beats Montgomery". Atlanta Daily World. 15 May 1945. p. 5. ProQuest 490769064.
  24. ^ "Six New York Artists Win Seven A. U. Exhibit Awards". Atlanta Daily World. 31 March 1946. p. 1. ProQuest 490794421.
  25. ^ "Thespian Wins Painting Prize". The Chicago Defender. 12 April 1947. p. 13. ProQuest 492792639.
  26. ^ "N.Y. Artist Awarded $300 in Atlanta University Show: 9 Other Painters, Sculptors, Print-Makers Win Prizes Totaling $1,400 at Annual Event". Afro-American. 12 April 1947. p. 15. ProQuest 531627080.
  27. ^ "New Yorker gets top A.U. exhibit award". Atlanta Daily World. 6 April 1948. p. 3. ProQuest 490852330.
  28. ^ "Winners Announced At A. U. Art Exhibition". Atlanta Daily World. 2 April 1949. p. 1. ProQuest 490875997.
  29. ^ "Winners Listed In Atlanta U's Art Exhibition". New Journal and Guide. 8 April 1950. p. 16. ProQuest 568037733.
  30. ^ "Atlanta University Bulletin". July 1950. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  31. ^ "Atlanta University Bulletin". July 1951. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  32. ^ "Author To Speak On Condition of Schools". Philadelphia Tribune. 19 May 1951. p. 8. ProQuest 531924902.
  33. ^ "Atlanta University Bulletin". July 1952. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  34. ^ "A. U.'s 13th Art Exhibition Under Way". Courier. Pittsburgh. 10 April 1954. p. 31. ProQuest 202331729.
  35. ^ "Student wins top art prize: John Wilson best in Atlanta U. show". Afro-American. 2 April 1955. p. 7. ProQuest 531946789.
  36. ^ "Top A. U. Award Goes To Mass. Artist; Atlantan Gets Prize". Atlanta Daily World. 26 March 1955. p. 5. ProQuest 491057164.
  37. ^ "Atlanta Artist Gets Prize At A. U. Art Show". Atlanta Daily World. 12 May 1957. p. 8. ProQuest 491113856.
  38. ^ "Figure Painting Award Goes To Philly Artist". Atlanta Daily World. 30 March 1957. p. 2. ProQuest 491109242.
  39. ^ "Atlanta Univ. Exhibition Winners, Prizes Revealed". Atlanta Daily World. 26 April 1960. p. 4. ProQuest 491200239.
  40. ^ "Atlanta University Bulletin". July 1960. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  41. ^ "Atlanta University Bulletin". July 1961. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  42. ^ "Prizes Awarded At AU Art Exhibition". Atlanta Daily World. 2 April 1961. p. 2. ProQuest 491227317.
  43. ^ "A. U. Announces Awards In Annual Art Exhibition". Atlanta Daily World. 28 March 1964. p. 8. ProQuest 491311051.
  44. ^ "Top honors awarded to artists at Atlanta University art show". Afro-American. 4 April 1964. p. 10. ProQuest 532199097.
  45. ^ "John Hope award to Floyd Coleman". Afro-American. 17 April 1965. p. 7. ProQuest 532156292.
  46. ^ "Mrs. Simon gets 7th Atlanta award for art". Afro-American. 2 April 1966. p. 17. ProQuest 532201789.
  47. ^ "Atlanta University Bulletin". July 1969. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  48. ^ Graham, Gladys P (17 July 1948). "Interracial Art Collection Begun By Corporation: Hale Woodruff, N. Y. U. Art Dept. In Charge". Atlanta Daily World. p. 1. ProQuest 490856592.
  49. ^ "Afro-Arts Center artists present Harlem showing". Afro-American. 13 December 1969. p. 16. ProQuest 532272669.
  50. ^ "Harlem Studio Museum Has Black Art Festival". New York Amsterdam News. 6 December 1969. p. 18. ProQuest 226585735.
  51. ^ Tapley, Mel (6 August 1977). "Crowds Attend 'Two Centuries of Black American Art': 'Two Centuries of Black Art'". New York Amsterdam News. p. D1. ProQuest 226496341.
  52. ^ "Two Centuries of Black American Art". Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  53. ^ Tapley, Mel (4 March 1978). "New vistas Open for Black artists". New York Amsterdam News. p. D12. ProQuest 226406776.
  54. ^ "Visual arts calendar". New York Amsterdam News. 18 February 1978. p. d12. ProQuest 226415820.
  55. ^ "Alone in a crowd : prints of the 1930s-40s by African-American artists: from the collection of Reba and Dave Williams". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  56. ^ "Depression era exhibit at Brooklyn Museum". New York Amsterdam News. 10 February 1996. p. 8. ProQuest 2632193509.
  57. ^ "Display Ad 2 -- No Title". Weekend Chicago Defender. 17 August 1996. p. 15. ProQuest 2557545753.
  58. ^ "Black and Mexican art premieres at the Studio Museum". New York Amsterdam News. 26 October 1996. p. 25. ProQuest 2642580152.
  59. ^ LeFalle-Collins, Lizzetta; Goldman, Shifra M. (1996). In the spirit of resistance: African-American modernists and the Mexican muralist school. American Federation of Arts. ISBN 978-1-885444-01-1. OCLC 1035662293.[page needed]
  60. ^ "CAU Exhibits Work Of Pioneer Artist". Atlanta Daily World. 20 March 2003. p. 6. ProQuest 491824893.
  61. ^ Booker, Bobbi (28 September 2004). "Artists honored with Van Der Zee award". Philadelphia Tribune. p. 6-B. ProQuest 2672403318.
  62. ^ Booker, Bobbi (5 October 2004). "Brandywine Workshop honors 3 visual artists". Philadelphia Tribune. p. 6-B. ProQuest 2666069309.
  63. ^ "Reckoning with "The Incident": John Wilson's Studies for a Lynching Mural". Yale University Art Gallery. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  64. ^ a b Mellby, Julie (May 3, 2015). "John Wilson 1922–2015". Graphic Arts. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
  65. ^ a b "John Woodrow Wilson | Streetcar Scene | The Met". The Metropolitan Museum of Art, i.e. The Met Museum. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
  66. ^ "Authoress Blends Art and Poetry". Call and Post. 30 August 1969. p. 6B. ProQuest 184395776.
  67. ^ a b c "Welcome to the Museum". The Museum of the NCAAA. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  68. ^ a b "John Woodrow Wilson". Indiana University Art Museum. 2006.
  69. ^ "John Woodrow Wilson | Deliver Us from Evil". The Met. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  70. ^ "Wilson/Cortor". Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. November 5, 2016 – August 6, 2017. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  71. ^ "Martin Luther King, Jr., John Woodrow Wilson; Publisher: Center Street Studio, Milton Village, Mass". MIA. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  72. ^ "John Wilson 1922–2015". Graphic Arts Collection: Rare Books and Special Collections, Firestone Library, Princeton University. May 3, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  73. ^ "Martin Luther King, Jr". Muscarelle Museum of Art. 2015.
  74. ^ "John Woodrow Wilson: Black Soldier". Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  75. ^ ""Dialogue" / John Wilson 1973". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  76. ^ "John Wilson". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  77. ^ "The collection: John Wilson". Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  78. ^ "John Wilson". Philadelphia Museum of Art. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  79. ^ "John Wilson". National Gallery of Art. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  80. ^ "John Wilson". Cleveland Museum of Art. Retrieved 2022-08-23.