Alma Woodsey Thomas
Alma Woodsey Thomas (1891 - 1978)
Born Alma Woodsey Thomas on September 22, 1891, in Columbus, GA.
Earned a teaching degree in 1913 and began teaching elementary school the next year. At the age of 30, she enrolled at Howard University, and in 1924 earned a Bachelor of Science in Fine Arts. She was in the first graduating class and is believed to be the first African American woman to earn a degree in Art in America. In 1934, she earned a Master’s Degree in Art Education from the Teacher’s College of Columbia University.
She taught at Shaw Junior High School in Washington, DC, from 1924 until her retirement in 1960. Thomas did not become a famous artist until after she retired at the age of 68!
She died in Washington, DC, on February 24, 1978, at the age of 86.
You can learn more about Alma Woodsey Thomas and her life in Washington, DC in this article, and can see more of her works on Google Arts & Culture. This video by the Art Institute of Chicago gives a good overview of her life and the history of her painting style. Thomas' works hang in many prestigious institutions including the Hirshhorn Smithsonian, the National Gallery of Art, The Met, MoMA, and the Whitney Museum. In 2015, her painting Resurrection (1968), was the first painting by a Black artist to become part of the White House collection.
Fun connections: Alma Thomas was good friends with Loïs Mailou Jones, and was part of her "Little Paris Studio" group of artists in Washington, DC. Throughout her life, Thomas continued to expand her artistic skills by taking a wide variety of classes. In 1935, she studied marionette puppetry with Tony Sarg, the man who created the Macy's Day Balloons! You may remember reading the book about him by Melissa Sweet, titled Balloons Over Broadway.
What do you notice? ✏️ What do you wonder? ✏️ What do you like or dislike?
Alma Woodsey Thomas