Helen Shapiro Art
Helen Shapiro (1914-2006) The granddaughter of Jewish homesteaders in the Florida Panhandle, Helen was born and raised in Meridian, Mississippi, and was a member of its small Orthodox Jewish community. She came of age in the Depression and had no formal training as an artist until the end of WW11, when she enrolled at the prestigious Parsons in New York. Unfortunately, after her first year of studies, her father died unexpectedly and she felt compelled to return home to join her newly widowed mother. Shortly thereafter, she married Al Shapiro, a native New Yorker, in1948, and had a daughter Cathy and a son David.
Over the years, Helen worked in a variety of media, but focused on fabric collage in her later years. She colorfully peopled this work from her own Southern experience but also drew from images of diverse ethnic groups and popular culture. With great sensitivity, Shapiro often translated the works of Gauguin, Renoir and other artists she admired into the medium she loved, cloth collage. Her work is represented by her personal friend and Tuscaloosa artist, Deborah Hughes, who is committed to bringing her vibrant work to the attention and appreciation of a new and much wider audience. |
More than two decades ago, Tuscaloosa and University Painters, a group of artists affiliated with The University Women’s Club at UA began volunteering their time to keep the walls of the former Capstone Medical Center filled with bright and vibrant paintings. For some years after the move to this facility these artists continued to hang their work, changing it seasonally. This tradition continues as a new initiative called Wellness Walls for Art. I am excited that the Wellness Walls for Art program presents an opportunity to identify a rich array of art, bring it into focus and spotlight it in a public and accessible space.
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