Who is Glenn Ligon?
Glenn Ligon is an American conceptual artist. He was born in South Bronx and attended RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) for 2 years before transferring to Wesleyan.
Ligon’s work deals with topics relating to African American queer identity. He also references quotes by famous African American authors in many of his projects. He is most famous for his stencil art, which he creates by rubbing oil pastels on a white canvas to repeatedly stencil a phrase. “I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background” references a quote by Zora Neale Hurston.
I’m especially drawn to Glenn Ligon’s work because of its historical significance. His work, “I Am a Man” references the signs African American workers would carry during the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike. It leads to discussion, presents a topic that reflects some moment in history, and encapsulates the civil rights movement as a whole.
