Thaddeus Mosley
Encyclopedia
Thaddeus G. Mosley is a United States
sculptor who works mostly in wood and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
.
, Mosley enlisted in the U.S. Navy, then graduated from the University of Pittsburgh
, where he majored in English and journalism, then settled in Pittsburgh and took a job with the U.S. Postal Service. Some freelance journalism in the 1950s for the Pittsburgh Courier
and various national magazines sparked his interest in carving and sculpture.
His solo and two-person exhibits include events at the Carnegie Museum of Art
in 1968 and 1997; the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
(PCA)'s Artist of the Year show in 1979; the Three Rivers Arts Festival
with Selma Burke
in 1990; and the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild in 1995. His best-known sculptures in Pittsburgh are the 14-foot cedar Phoenix at the corner of Centre Avenue and Dinwiddie in the Hill District
and the Mountaintop limestone at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library in the Hill District at Herron and Milwaukee Streets.
Mosley's awards include the 1999 Governor's Award for Artist of the Year in Pennsylvania Visual Arts, the PCA 2000 Cultural Award, and the PCA 2002 Service to the Arts Award and Exhibition. The latter award, first awarded in 1997, is given to a member of the local arts community for demonstrating inspiration, involvement, commitment and passion for the arts. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
called Mosley "a fixture at local art openings" and said:
His commissions include Three Rivers Bench in 2003 for the David L. Lawrence Convention Center
; Legends at the Susquehanna Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
, from December 2003 to March 2004; and an exhibition at the Cue Art Foundation Gallery in New York City
in March 2004.
In 1997, Pittsburgh author David Lewis published Thaddeus Mosley: African-American Sculptor, a 97-page book published by the University of Pittsburgh Press
.
His affiliations include many years as an officer of the Pittsburgh Society of Sculptors and service as a board member for the August Wilson Center for African American Culture
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sculptor who works mostly in wood and is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
.
Biography
A native of New Castle, PennsylvaniaNew Castle, Pennsylvania
New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Pittsburgh and near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border just east of Youngstown, Ohio; in 1910, the total population was 36,280; in 1920, 44,938; and in 1940, 47,638. The population has fallen to 26,309 according to the...
, Mosley enlisted in the U.S. Navy, then graduated from the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, where he majored in English and journalism, then settled in Pittsburgh and took a job with the U.S. Postal Service. Some freelance journalism in the 1950s for the Pittsburgh Courier
Pittsburgh Courier
The Pittsburgh Courier was an American newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which was published from 1907 to 1965. Once the country's most widely circulated Black newspaper, the legacy and influence of the Pittsburgh Courier is unparalleled.A pillar of the Black Press, it rose...
and various national magazines sparked his interest in carving and sculpture.
His solo and two-person exhibits include events at the Carnegie Museum of Art
Carnegie Museum of Art
The Carnegie Museum of Art, located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is an art museum founded in 1895 by the Pittsburgh-based industrialist Andrew Carnegie...
in 1968 and 1997; the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts is a non-profit community arts campus that offers arts education programs and contemporary art exhibitions in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
(PCA)'s Artist of the Year show in 1979; the Three Rivers Arts Festival
Three Rivers Arts Festival
Three Rivers Arts Festival is a large outdoor festival of the visual and performing arts held every summer throughout downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.The festival has been held annually, in June, since 1959....
with Selma Burke
Selma Burke
Selma Hortense Burke was an American sculptor.Born in Mooresville, North Carolina to a farming family, she demonstrated an early interest in art. Her parents insisted she study a more marketable profession, and she graduated from the St. Agnes Training School for Nurses in Raleigh in 1924...
in 1990; and the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild in 1995. His best-known sculptures in Pittsburgh are the 14-foot cedar Phoenix at the corner of Centre Avenue and Dinwiddie in the Hill District
Hill District (Pittsburgh)
The Hill District is a collection of neighborhoods that is considered by many to be the cultural center of African-American life in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, an American city. Harlem Renaissance poet Claude McKay once called the district "the crossroads of the world," referring to the...
and the Mountaintop limestone at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library in the Hill District at Herron and Milwaukee Streets.
Mosley's awards include the 1999 Governor's Award for Artist of the Year in Pennsylvania Visual Arts, the PCA 2000 Cultural Award, and the PCA 2002 Service to the Arts Award and Exhibition. The latter award, first awarded in 1997, is given to a member of the local arts community for demonstrating inspiration, involvement, commitment and passion for the arts. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
called Mosley "a fixture at local art openings" and said:
A constant contributor to charity auctions (he recently donated two pieces to the Sharry Evrett Scholarship Award auction and created a penguin for Sweetwater Center for the Arts' Penguins on Parade auction), he also is widely respected as an instructor, having given countless workshops on woodcarving at colleges and art centers locally and regionally. Most notable has been the Touchstone Center for Crafts in FarmingtonFarmington, PennsylvaniaFarmington is an unincorporated community in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States along the National Road. It is situated about 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, and is the closest settlement to Fort Necessity...
, Fayette County, where he has taught wood sculpture every summer for more than 20 years.
His commissions include Three Rivers Bench in 2003 for the David L. Lawrence Convention Center
David L. Lawrence Convention Center
The David L. Lawrence Convention Center is a convention, conference and exhibition building in downtown Pittsburgh in the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The initial David L...
; Legends at the Susquehanna Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
, from December 2003 to March 2004; and an exhibition at the Cue Art Foundation Gallery in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in March 2004.
In 1997, Pittsburgh author David Lewis published Thaddeus Mosley: African-American Sculptor, a 97-page book published by the University of Pittsburgh Press
University of Pittsburgh Press
The University of Pittsburgh Press is a scholarly publishing house and a major American university press, part of the University of Pittsburgh. The university and the press are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States....
.
His affiliations include many years as an officer of the Pittsburgh Society of Sculptors and service as a board member for the August Wilson Center for African American Culture
August Wilson Center for African American Culture
August Wilson Center for African American Culture is a U.S. nonprofit arts organization that presents performing and visual arts programs that celebrate the contributions of African Americans in Western Pennsylvania....
.