Renowned alumna Aminah Robinson featured in magazine

“Columbus artist Aminah Robinson went from a single mother on welfare to a talent whose powerful work sells for thousands and is praised around the world. Yet she still lives frugally, works tirelessly and cares only about penetrating spirits.”

In the two sentences that begin her article, “The Soulful Sage,” Capital Style’s Kristy Eckert captures our attention and reminds us why Aminah Robinson (CCAD 1960) remains such a cherished member of the arts community. The hundreds of words that follow detail her triumph over adversity and rise to the top of the art world, making it that much more powerful. It’s one of those articles that makes us sit back and say, ’Ah, yes, this is what CCAD grads do, and, man, do they do it well.’

And it appears CCAD remains close to Robinson’s heart as well. When talking about her time at CCAD, Robinson is quoted in the piece as saying, “"I loved it—absolutely loved it. That's when it became art."

We can’t capture everything that Eckert wrote in her article—this is one you’ve got to read in its entirety.

Robinson has exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States and she has received numerous awards and grants from arts organizations. In 2002, the Columbus Museum of Art organized a retrospective exhibition of her work that traveled throughout the country. In 2004, Robinson was awarded a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship which is given to "talented individuals who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction."

Her work is in many private collections and in many museums including the Columbus Museum of Art, the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Tacoma Art Museum and the Newark Museum.

Want to learn more about Aminah Robinson? Check out her webpage.