John A. Spaulding (October 18, 1942 – July 10, 2004) was an American artist and sculptor from

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. He was born in

Lockefield Gardens Lockefield Gardens was the first public housing built in Indianapolis. Constructed during the years 1935 to 1938, it was built exclusively for low income African-Americans in Indianapolis. The complex was closed in 1976, and a number of structur ...

, an Indianapolis public housing project on Indiana Avenue, which was known for its jazz clubs. Two of Spaulding's sculptures, '' Jammin' on the Avenue'' and '' Untitled (Jazz Musicians)'', are located near his birthplace and celebrate the area's musical heritage. Spaulding was the fifth of seven children. He attended

Indianapolis Public Schools Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) is the largest school district in Indianapolis, and the second largest school district in the state of Indiana as of 2021, behind Fort Wayne Community Schools. The district's headquarters are in the John Mort ...

24 and 26 and

Arsenal Technical High School Arsenal Technical High School, commonly referred to as Tech or Arsenal Tech, is a public high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, which is run by the Indianapolis Public Schools district. The school is located on a , multiple buildin ...

. He was a self-taught welder. Spaulding worked part-time on his art, while working as a metal-joining specialist in the

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial, and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astron ...

industry in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in the 1960s. He relocated to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1978 and continued to work on his art. Spaulding's work is internationally recognized, with pieces on display in several countries including

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, Japan, France, and England. He had studios for creating his works in California, New York,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, and Indianapolis. His sculptures have been inspired by nature and his African American heritage. He also created several large abstracts. Spaulding's work is included in private and public collections such as '' Black Titan'' at the Indianapolis Art Center's ArtsPark.Indianapolis Art Center ARTSPARK Sculptures. "Sculptures Throughout ARTSPARK." January 30, 2009. The artist died on July 10, 2004, in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

Selected works

* '' Black Titan'', Indianapolis, Indiana * '' Untitled (Jazz Musicians)'', Indianapolis, Indiana * '' Jammin' on the Avenue'', Indianapolis, Indiana

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spaulding, John Artists from Indianapolis 1942 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists American male sculptors Sculptors from Indiana

Selected works

See also

References