BLAC Artist of the Week: Shirley Woodson: The Power of Art to Heal Our World

ARTIST OF THE WEEK is Shirley Woodson. 

The revered artist, mentor, art historian, educator, collector, and administrator— who is now in her mid 80’s— remains a progressive trailblazer throughout Detroit for her decades of art curation, development, institution building and persistent leadership.

Woodson’s work dates back to The Civil Rights Movement. Her footprint and credibility spans astonishingly across six decades as one who has devoted over 40 years of her career to teaching art throughout Detroit and Highland Park. 

Named Kresge Eminent Artist of 2021 and 2021 Michiganian of the year, Woodson received both her bachelor of fine arts and master of fine arts from Wayne State University. She is the co-founder of Michigan’s Chapter of National Council of Artists, one of the nation’s oldest art organizations, focused on nurturing, developing and fostering opportunities for Black visual artists. 

Woodson’s current exhibition:  “Shirley Woodson: Shield of the Nile Reflections,” will be featured at the Detroit Institute of Arts through June 2022.