Charles Henry Alston
Born
in
Charlotte,
NC,
Charles
Henry
Alston
(1907-1977)
showed
a
strong
interest
in
art
as
early
as
age
five,
creating
clay
sculpture
and
copying
sketches
from
his
older
brother’s
drawings.
After
moving
to
Harlem
with
his
family
in
1915,
Alston
began
drawing
cartoons
and
became
the
art
editor
for
his
high
school
magazine.
After
graduation
with
a
Master’s
from
Columbia
University,
Alston’s
career
soared.
In
the
1930s
and
40s,
he
illustrated
for
magazines
such
as
Fortune,
The
New
Yorker,
and
Melody
Maker
and
designed
album
covers
and
book
covers
for
stars
such
as
Duke
Ellington
and
Langston
Hughes.
In
1935,... Read More
Alston
became
the
first
African-American
supervisor
to
work
for
the
Works
Progress
Administration’s
Federal
Art
Project.
While
there,
Alston
co-founded
the
Harlem
Artists
Guild
with
fellow
artist,
Augusta
Savage,
aiming
to
increase
equality
in
WPA
art
programs
and
fund
more
black
artists.
Throughout
his
career
he
remained
dedicated
to
teaching
and
to
the
cultural
enrichment,
improved
education,
and
equality
in
his
beloved
Harlem
community.
Also
a
talented
painter
and
sculptor,
Alston
designed
murals
for
Harlem
Hospital,
Golden
State
Mutual,
and
the
American
Museum
of
Natural
History,
and
in
1990
his
bronze
bust
of
Martin
Luther
King
Jr.
became
the
first
image
of
an
African-American
to
be
displayed
in
the
White
House.
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