by Erika McCarden
“It really was such a privilege to be a part of a creative family that inspired social responsibility through many forms,” Ian White, son of artist Charles W. White, told the audience at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena on Sunday. “My father was a creative force and impacted many students.”
Ian White took the stage for an intimate Q&A with arts historian Lyn Kienholz for a discussion about Charles W. White and other mid-century Altadena artists.
The gathering served as a tribute to White, who died in 1979 and was deemed one of America’s most gifted African-American artists. White’s work touched millions, and depicted the humanity, social justice and human relationships of African Americans.
Before a small crowd of art enthusiasts, former Charles W. White students and fans, Ian discussed his childhood, the racial tension his family encountered and his father’s passion for art in a post Harlem Renaissance era, focused on social consciousness and awareness.
“So many artists and entertainers were always over at our house,” said Ian. “The director Ivan Dixon, who lived at the top of Marengo. Sydney Poitier rented a house out here when he was filming. John Outterbridge, the Watts Towers Director, and Harry Belafonte was a very good friend of my dad’s. In fact, it was Harry that gave my dad the $500 to move to L.A.”
by Erika McCarden
“It really was such a privilege to be a part of a creative family that inspired social responsibility through many forms,” Ian White, son of artist Charles W. White, told the audience at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena on Sunday. “My father was a creative force and impacted many students.”
Ian White took the stage for an intimate Q&A with arts historian Lyn Kienholz for a discussion about Charles W. White and other mid-century Altadena artists.
The gathering served as a tribute to White, who died in 1979 and was deemed one of America’s most gifted African-American artists. White’s work touched millions, and depicted the humanity, social justice and human relationships of African Americans.
Before a small crowd of art enthusiasts, former Charles W. White students and fans, Ian discussed his childhood, the racial tension his family encountered and his father’s passion for art in a post Harlem Renaissance era, focused on social consciousness and awareness.
“So many artists and entertainers were always over at our house,” said Ian. “The director Ivan Dixon, who lived at the top of Marengo. Sydney Poitier rented a house out here when he was filming. John Outterbridge, the Watts Towers Director, and Harry Belafonte was a very good friend of my dad’s. In fact, it was Harry that gave my dad the $500 to move to L.A.”