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Date: 10/5/2022
SPRINGFIELD – For the late artist Nelson Stevens, murals were part of his artistic philosophy, according to his longtime friend and colleague.
Professor John H. Bracy Jr. told Reminder Publishing, “He did everything so you could see beauty in every part of your life.”
Two of the many murals originally painted around Springfield by Nelson Stevens have been restored by the Community Mural Institute. The official dedication of the restored murals was conducted on Sept. 24 with Stevens’ daughter present.
The murals are on Montrose and Catherine streets and were two of the 36 paintings Stevens did with students from the University of Massachusetts (UMass) over a four year span in the mid-1970s. They were recreated by the Community Mural Institute.
The restored murals will act as introduction for Stevens whose work will be featured in an exhibit titled “Nelson Stevens: Color Rapping” that will open at the D’Amour Museum of Art on March 4, 2023.
According to the museum, “This remarkable exhibition, spanning more than 50 years of the artist’s career, explores the political, cultural and socioeconomic messages in Stevens’ art and style of painting.”
Stevens once said, “I create from the rhythmic color-rappin-life-style of Black folk. I believe that art can breathe life, and life is what we are about.”
A UMass professor for more than 30 years, Stevens passed on July 22. Before becoming to UMass in 1973, he taught at Northern Illinois University and was a member of AfriCOBRA (the African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists). According to Stevens’ obituary, “Their goal was to unite all members of the African Diaspora and eliminate the western idea of the self and embrace the progress of the community. The founding members wanted to honor the past, contextualize the present, and prepare for a bright future by creating images that defined the visual aesthetic of the Black Arts Movement. The AfriCOBRA movement shows the importance of creating spaces for African American artists to create meaningful art and social change.”
At UMass he was one of the original professors for the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies.
His artwork can be found in private collections and public museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago and Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Bracey said Stevens’ work could be seen in postcards, posters, paintings and murals.
“He was one of the greatest teachers I ever saw and one of the greatest artists I ever knew,” Bracey said.
Bracey recalled that Stevens frequently took photos of people who he would later use as reference for his art. Anyone could be a subject for him. When people questioned why he would want to take their photo, Stevens would tell them they were “beautiful.”
“He made no distinction between human beings and their work on any level,” Bracey noted.
Bracey added that through his art Stevens was “taking the beauty of the world and giving it back.”