Harold Rittenberry Jr. (born 1938) is an "outsider" artist living in Athens, Georgia.[1] He works with salvaged and scrap metal, making sculptures of "people animals... fish[2] He began sculpting in 1990[2] with steel after his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.[3]
In 2022, he was commissioned by University of Georgia President, Jere Morehead to create benches in honor of Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Hamilton Holmes.[4] His work is permanently displayed in places including Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport[5], the campus of Emory University,[6] the Atlanta Folk Art Park, created for the 1996 Summer Olympics by UGA art professor Robert Clements,[7] and many places in Athens.[8]
Awards and honors edit
In 2013, Rittenberry received the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Award, which "honors a living African American visual artist with a significant Georgia connection in an effort to raise his or her profile" from the Georgia Museum of Art.[9]
In 2021, Didi Dunphy was awarded a Georgia Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities for her work at the Lyndon House Arts Center, specifically "including the Harold Rittenberry Sculpture Garden".[10]
References edit
- ^ Goekjian, Karekin; Peacock, Robert (1998). Light of the Spirit: Portraits of Southern Outsider Artists. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781578060252. OCLC 260053774.
- ^ a b Sellen, Sellen (2016). Self-Taught, Outsider and Folk Art: A Guide to American Artists, Locations and Resources (3rd ed.). McFarland. p. 235. ISBN 9781476623047. OCLC 952616331.
- ^ Cooley, LuAnn and Joong Kang, Dae (2005). "Learning in the Twilight Zone: Transformational Learning of the Outsider Artist," Adult Education Research Conference. https://newprairiepress.org/aerc/2005/ papers/50
- ^ Skyler, Heather (August 29, 2022). "Athens artist creates benches to honor Holmes and Hunter". UGA Today. Athens, GA. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ Butschek, Hilary (April 1, 2016). "Athens artist honored with a day in his name". Athens Banner-Herald. Athens, GA. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ King, Leslie (August 18, 2015). "Discover the outdoor art that graces Emory's campus". Emory News. Atlanta. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ Godwin, Becca J G (June 1, 2017). "Downtown's Folk Art Park, created for 1996 Olympics, freshly restored". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ Shimalla, Alexandra (December 30, 2019). "The Artist". Athens Magazine. Athens, GA. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ "Black Art and Culture Awards". Georgia Museum of Art. University of Georgia. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ "2021 Governor's Awards" (PDF). Georgia Council for the Arts and Georgia Humanities. 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
Category:Living people
Category:1938 births
Category:Artists from Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:Outsider artists
Category:African-American sculptors
Category:20th-century American sculptors
Category:21st-century American sculptors