Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller: Sculptor of the Black American Experience

Meta Fuller was born in Philadelphia during Reconstruction and lived until the year that Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. A protégée of French sculptor Auguste Rodin, she returned to America from a triumph in Paris to become a luminary of the Harlem Renaissance. Meta Fuller has been described as one of the most imaginative artists of her generation, and her powerful sculptures stand as an historical record of the Black American experience.

Presented by:  Janet Mandel taught in New Jersey’s public schools for 32 years, the last eighteen of which were at Columbia High School in Maplewood, where she taught English, art history, and World Languages and Cultures. In October of 2003 she was named runner-up for the New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) Teacher of the Year award and was formally recognized by the New Jersey State Legislature and Governor Codey for this achievement. In May of 2004 she was the recipient of the “Innovations in Special Education Award” from the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) and the Association of Schools and Agencies for the Handicapped (ASAH). Now retired, Janet presents illustrated talks on a variety of art history topics at adult schools, libraries, museums, senior centers, community centers, and similar venues.