Charles Mills (artist)
Encyclopedia
Charles Norman Mills was an African American
artist whose paintings appeared on canvas and as murals on neighborhood walls, focusing on events in African-American history and culture. His work Wall of History, a mural depicting centuries of African American history, located at the entrance to downtown Fort Lauderdale
's Sistrunk Boulevard, has been called his greatest achievement.
Mills was born on December 14, 1920, in New York City
and grew up in Harlem
. He attended an arts high school in Manhattan
. As a youth, Mills learned about his roots through his frequent visits to a collection of books on African-American culture and history located on the second floor of a building on 135th Street, a collection that was later placed in the Arthur Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
Mills served in the United States Army
and after completing his military service worked as a medical illustrator
at the VA Medical Center in Brooklyn
. This was a position that his daughter described as having "brought out the art in him" and Mills would go on to spend two decades designing and illustrating medical books. He started designing fine art, after taking instruction at The Career School of Commercial Illustration in New York and at the Brooklyn Museum
, with many of his works shown in collections and galleries in New York City.
He moved to South Florida in 1985, settling in Fort Lauderdale. He taught at the Coral Springs Museum of Art, continued painting and had his works shown in area galleries and museums. His mural at the entrance to Sistrunk Boulevard in his adopted home town, commissioned by the City of Fort Lauderdale, have been considered his greatest work, telling the story of the African-American experience from slavery to modern times. In 2009, the Jim Moran Foundation honored him as an African-American Achiever for his six decades of painting and his focus on the African-American experience.
Mills died at age 88 on October 20, 2009, at a hospice in Pembroke Pines, Florida
. He was survived by his wife, Thelma, as well as by two daughters, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
artist whose paintings appeared on canvas and as murals on neighborhood walls, focusing on events in African-American history and culture. His work Wall of History, a mural depicting centuries of African American history, located at the entrance to downtown Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
's Sistrunk Boulevard, has been called his greatest achievement.
Mills was born on December 14, 1920, 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...
and grew up in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. He attended an arts high school in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. As a youth, Mills learned about his roots through his frequent visits to a collection of books on African-American culture and history located on the second floor of a building on 135th Street, a collection that was later placed in the Arthur Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
Mills served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and after completing his military service worked as a medical illustrator
Medical illustrator
A medical illustrator is a professional artist who interprets and creates visual material to help record and disseminate medical, biological and related knowledge. Medical illustrators not only produce such material but can also function as consultants and administrators within the field of...
at the VA Medical Center in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. This was a position that his daughter described as having "brought out the art in him" and Mills would go on to spend two decades designing and illustrating medical books. He started designing fine art, after taking instruction at The Career School of Commercial Illustration in New York and at the Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an encyclopedia art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At 560,000 square feet, the museum holds New York City's second largest art collection with roughly 1.5 million works....
, with many of his works shown in collections and galleries in New York City.
He moved to South Florida in 1985, settling in Fort Lauderdale. He taught at the Coral Springs Museum of Art, continued painting and had his works shown in area galleries and museums. His mural at the entrance to Sistrunk Boulevard in his adopted home town, commissioned by the City of Fort Lauderdale, have been considered his greatest work, telling the story of the African-American experience from slavery to modern times. In 2009, the Jim Moran Foundation honored him as an African-American Achiever for his six decades of painting and his focus on the African-American experience.
Mills died at age 88 on October 20, 2009, at a hospice in Pembroke Pines, Florida
Pembroke Pines, Florida
Pembroke Pines is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city had a population of 154,750 at the 2010 census, making it the second most populous city in Broward County, the tenth most populous in Florida, and the 150th most populous in the United States...
. He was survived by his wife, Thelma, as well as by two daughters, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.