Mahler B. Ryder
Mahler Ryder | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mahler Bessinger Ryder July 7, 1937 Columbus, Ohio, United States |
| Died | February 27, 1992 (aged 54) Providence, Rhode Island, United States |
| Education | Columbus College of Art and Design, Ohio State University, Art Students League of New York, School of Visual Arts |
| Occupation(s) | Collagist, sculptor, painter, illustrator, educator |
| Partner | Susan Bellaire |
| Children | 1 |
Mahler Bessinger Ryder (July 7, 1937 – February 27, 1992) was an American visual artist, illustrator, and educator. He was also a self-taught jazz pianist, and a faculty member at the Rhode Island School of Design for many years. Ryder was a founding member of the Studio Museum in Harlem.
Biography
[edit]Mahler Bessinger Ryder was born on July 7, 1937, in Columbus, Ohio.[1][2][3] He attended the Columbus College of Art and Design; Ohio State University; the Art Students League of New York; and the School of Visual Arts in New York City.[1]
Ryder was a foundering member of the Studio Museum in Harlem, where he worked as a secretary from 1966 until 1967.[1] He was a faculty member at Rhode Island School of Design from 1969 to 1992.[1][4] During the civil rights movement, Ryder was as an activist.[3] He was a member of the Black Emergency Cultural Coalition, and participated in their museum protests.[5]
In the 1970s, Ryder created the bronze plaques for Edward Bannister's gravestone.[6] In 2024, these bronze plaques were stolen off the gravestone at Providence's North Burial Ground cemetery.[6] His best known works include The Great American Subway (1969), Homage to the Guitar series and the Jazz Composers series (1980–1989), and The Woman Series (1984).[3] Ryder created a series of mixed media collages that paid tribute to African American jazz and blues figures, such as George Benson, Lead Belly, and B. B. King.[2]
He died of cancer at the of age 54 on February 27, 1992, at Roger Williams Medical Center in Providence.[1] He was survived by his mother, sister, and daughter.[1] Ryder's archive can be found at the Smithsonian American Art and Portrait Gallery Library.[7]
Exhibitions
[edit]- 1967, Counterpoints 23, group exhibition, Lever House, New York City, New York; group exhibition included Mahler B. Ryder, Betty Blayton, Alvin C. Hollingsworth, Earl Miller, Faith Ringgold, Jack H. White
- 1968, Fifteen New Voices, group exhibition, American Greeting Card Gallery, New York City, New York; (March 12 – May 3, 1968): group exhibition included Emma Amos, Benny Andrews, Betty Blayton, Emilio Cruz, Avel De Knight, Melvin Edwards, Reginald Gammon, Alvin C. Hollingsworth, Tom Lloyd, William Majors, Earl Miller, Mahler B. Ryder, Raymond Saunders, Jack H. White, Jack Whitten.
- 1969, 30 Contemporary Black Artists, traveling group exhibition at six locations, including the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), Minneapolis, Minnesota; and the San Francisco Museum of Art (now SFMoMA), San Francisco, California; group exhibition included Mahler B. Ryder, Jacob Lawrence, Raymond Saunders, Emma Amos, Benny Andrews, Romare Bearden, Betty Blayton, George Carter, Floyd Coleman, Emilio Cruz, James Denmark, Avel de Knight, Reginald Gammon, Sam Gilliam, Marvin Harden, Felrath Hines, Alvin C. Hollingsworth, Richard Hunt, Cliff Joseph, Norman Lewis, Tom Lloyd, Richard Mayhew, Earl Miller, Robert Reid, Betye Saar, Thomas Sills, Hughie Lee–Smith, Russ Thompson, Lloyd Toone, Ed Wilson, Jack H. White[8]
- 1971, Rebuttal to Whitney Museum, group exhibition, Acts of Art Gallery, New York City, New York[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "Mahler Ryder, 54, Teacher of Illustration". The New York Times. March 4, 1992. p. 21. ISSN 0362-4331.
- ^ a b Lewis, Samella S. (2003). "Mahler Ryder". African American Art and Artists. University of California Press. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-520-23935-7 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c "Ryder, Mahler (Bessinger)". St. James Guide to Black Artists. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Detroit, Michigan: St. James Press. 1997. p. 462. ISBN 978-1-55862-220-3 – via Internet Archive.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Designer to Lecture at Art Institute". The Kansas City Times. March 20, 1971. p. 11. Retrieved 2024-12-30 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gruber, J. Richard (1997). American Icons: From Madison to Manhattan, the Art of Benny Andrews, 1948-1997. University Press of Mississippi. p. 241. ISBN 978-1-890021-01-6 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Russo, Amy (March 6, 2024). "A bronze plaque was stolen from Edward Bannister's grave. Now, there's a reward for its return". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 2024-04-08. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
- ^ "Mahler B. Ryder, 1937–1992 [Folder]". Smithsonian Libraries and Archives' Art and Artist Files. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
- ^ "Contemporary Black Artists exhibit opens at SF museum". The Peninsula Times Tribune. 1969-11-25. p. 15. Retrieved 2025-01-01 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Nadel, Norman (April 18, 1971). "Critic's Corner: Exhibit and 'Rebuttal'". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 62. Retrieved 2024-12-30 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
[edit]- Mahler B. Ryder (1973 exhibition catalogue), Whitney Museum of American Art (via Internet Archive), which contains an interview with the artist
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1937 births
- 1992 deaths
- 20th-century African-American artists
- 20th-century African-American educators
- 20th-century American artists
- 20th-century American educators
- African-American illustrators
- African-American painters
- African-American sculptors
- American civil rights activists
- American collage artists
- American illustrators
- American male painters
- Artists from Columbus, Ohio
- Artists from Providence, Rhode Island
- Art Students League of New York alumni
- Assemblage artists
- Columbus College of Art and Design alumni
- Ohio State University alumni
- School of Visual Arts alumni