Ed Dwight
Edward Joseph Dwight, Jr. | |
---|---|
Dwight while serving as a Captain in the United States Air Force | |
Born |
Kansas City, Kansas | September 9, 1933
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Arizona State University & University of Denver |
Known for | Sculpture |
Website |
www |
Military career | |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/branch | United States Air Force |
Years of service | 1953–1966 |
Rank | Captain |
Edward Joseph (Ed) Dwight, Jr. (born September 9, 1933) is an American black sculptor and former test pilot who was the first African American to be trained as an astronaut.
Early life
Dwight was born in the Kansas City, Kansas area on September 9, 1933[1] to Edward Dwight, Sr. and Georgia Baker Dwight. His father played second baseman for the Kansas City Monarchs.[2]
As a child, he was an avid reader and enjoyed the arts and working with his hands, so long as the subject matter was black.[2]
Piloting
Dwight joined the United States Air Force in 1953.[3] In 1957, while serving as an Air Force test pilot, he earned a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Arizona State University.[2][3] He received the rank of captain while serving in the Air Force.[1][4]
Astronaut training
In 1961, the Kennedy administration selected Dwight as the first African American astronaut trainee,[3] at the suggestion of the National Urban League's Whitney Young. His selection garnered international media attention, and Dwight appeared on the covers of newsmagazines such as Ebony, Jet, and Sepia.[2][4]
Despite facing discrimination from other astronauts, Dwight persevered until the assassination of President Kennedy, after which--according to Dwight government officials created a threatening atmosphere and he was assigned to be a liaison officer in Germany to a non-existent German test pilot school. As a result of this climate, he resigned from the Air Force in 1966.[1][2][4]
Sculpting
After resigning from the Air Force, Dwight worked as an engineer, in real estate, and for IBM.[3] He learned how to operate the University of Denver's metal casting foundry in the mid 1970s, and received a Master of Fine Arts from the University in 1977.sculping is making art.[2][4]
Each and all of Dwight's pieces involves blacks and only blacks. His first major works was a commission in 1974 to create a sculpture of Colorado Lieutenant Governor George L. Brown. Soon after, he was commissioned by the Colorado Centennial Commission to create a series of bronze sculptures entreated "Black Frontier in the American West."[3]
Soon after his completion of his "Black Frontier in the American West" exhibit, Dwight created a series of over 70 bronze sculptures at the St. Louis Arch Museum at the request of the National Park Service. The series, "Jazz: An American Art Form", depicts the evolution of jazz and features jazz performers such as Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, and Charlie Parker.[3]
Dwight owns and operates Ed Dwight Studios, based in Denver, Colorado.[2]
He is recognized as the innovator of the negative space technique in sculpting.[2]
Notable sculptures
Dwight has created over 100 public art sculptures, including:[5]
Name | Picture | Location | Unveiled | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
African American History Monument | South Carolina State House grounds – Columbia, South Carolina | March 29, 2001 | [2][5] | |
Alex Haley / Kunta Kinte Memorial | The City Dock – Annapolis, Maryland | December 1999 | [2][5] | |
Black Revolutionary War Patriots Memorial | Constitution Gardens – Washington, D.C. | 1991 | [2] | |
Captain Walter Dyett Statue | Chicago, Illinois | [5] | ||
Concerto | Folly Theater – Kansas City, Missouri | [5] | ||
Dr. Benjamin Mays | Morehouse College Commons – Atlanta, Georgia | [5] | ||
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. | Anne Arundel Community College – Annapolis, Maryland | 2006 | [5] | |
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. | Houston, Texas | 2007 | [5] | |
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial | City Park – Denver, Colorado | 2002 | [2][5] | |
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. & Coretta Scott King | Allentown, Pennsylvania | 2011 | [5] | |
Gateway to Freedom International Memorial to the Underground Railroad | Philip A. Hart Plaza – Detroit, Michigan | 2001 | [2][5][6] | |
George Washington Williams bust | Ohio Statehouse – Columbus, Ohio | [2] | ||
Hank Aaron | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium – Atlanta, Georgia | 1982 | [5] | |
Inauguration of History and Hope - Inaugural Sculpture Scene of President Barack Obama | Touring exhibit | 2010 | [5] | |
Jack Trice Memorial | Iowa State University – Ames, Iowa | [5] | ||
Jazz: An American Art Form | St. Louis Arch Museum – St. Louis, Missouri | [3] | ||
John Hope Franklin Tower of Reconciliation | Tulsa, Oklahoma | [5] | ||
Mayor Harold Washington | Harold Washington Cultural Center – Chicago, Illinois | 2004 | [5] | |
Memorial to Rosa Parks, Mother of the Civil Rights Movement | Grand Rapids, Michigan | 2010 | [5] | |
Mother of Africa Chapel | Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception – Washington, D.C. | 1997 | [5] | |
Mr. Frederick Douglass | Frederick Douglass National Historic Site – Washington, D.C. | 1980 | Dwight's first commission[5] | |
Quincy Jones Sculpture Park | Chicago, Illinois | [2] | ||
Soldiers Memorial | Lincoln University – Jefferson City, Missouri | 2007 | [5] | |
Tower of Freedom International Memorial to the Underground Railroad | Civic Esplanade – Windsor, Ontario | 2001 | [2][5][6] | |
Underground Railroad Memorial | Kellogg Foundation headquarters – Battle Creek, Michigan | 1994 | [5] | |
United House of Prayer for All People | Lincoln Cemetery – Suitland, Maryland | 2008 | [5] | |
William E. Smith, Director of Airports | Denver, Colorado | [5] |
References
- 1 2 3 Becker, Joachim. "Biographies of Astronaut and Cosmonaut Candidates: Edward Dwight". spacefacts.de. Space Facts. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Ed Dwight". thehistorymakers.com. The HistoryMakers. June 19, 2002. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Behind the Scenes". eddwight.com. Ed Dwight Studios, Inc. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
- 1 2 3 4 White, Frank III. (February 1984). "The Sculptor Who Would Have Gone Into Space". Ebony (Google Books). Retrieved 2015-07-25.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 "Memorials & Public Art". eddwight.com. Ed Dwight Studios, Inc. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
- 1 2 "Underground Railroad Statuary and Memorial". detroit1701.org. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ed Dwight. |
- Official website
- DiMeo, Nate, The Ballad of Captain Dwight, Episode 75, The Memory Palace, 28 August 2015. An episode of The Memory Palace podcast about Edward Dwight, centered on his astronaut training. Includes parts of an interview.
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