Preserving black artists in Roxbury

For many years Boston has enjoyed a flourishing community of African American artists. However, with the recent death of John Wilson, there is a realization that we are losing too many of the prominent elders of the art world. It is now more important than ever for the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists to become established in its new home in the state transportation building to be constructed adjacent to the Tremont Crossing project.

Wilson, a long time art professor at Boston University, earned the honor of being chosen to sculpt the bronze bust of Martin Luther King that stands in the Capitol rotunda in Washington, D.C. His earlier sculpture “Eternal Presence” on the grounds of the museum received international acclaim. In addition to sculpture, Wilson was also known for the quality of his paintings and prints.

Just two years earlier, Richard Yarde, another distinguished artist from Roxbury, died after a serious illness. Yarde was recognized as one of America’s leading watercolorists. A Boston University alumnus, he was formerly a professor of art at UMass Amherst.

In 2007, Allan R. Crite died at the age of 97. He was well known for his paintings of street scenes in Roxbury and the South End. Fortunately, as the elders pass on there are young artists to continue the artistic tradition, such as painter Paul Goodnight and Fern Cunningham, a talented sculptor.

There are some who might underestimate the cultural importance of art, but what would the Italian Renaissance be without Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli or Titian? The Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists has the responsibility to serve as curator of the art that reflects the history, hopes and aesthetics of African Americans.

Just as the art of the Renaissance inspired the European civilization, so too does African American art cultivate the higher values of its cultural traditions.