Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson Artist and storyteller
Jun 25, 2015
Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson
Artist and storyteller
Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson was born in Columbus,
Ohio, in 1940.
When she was a little girl, her father taught her how to draw and how to make books from homemade paper.
• He taught her how to "hogmawg," a collection of mud, clay, twigs, leaves, lime, animal grease, and glue, to create art.
Life in Sellsville (1871-1900), 1987Wood, hogmawg, mud, and found objects
Aminah creates sculptures,
Mt. Vernon Avenue, South Side of Street, 1900-1957/Page Three: Memory Map, 1989-92RagGanon: paint on cloth with thread and buttons
rag paintings on cloth,
Poindexter Village Quilt, 1966-1984RagGonNon with buttons, beads, cowrie shells, thread, wool, rags, and cloth
Many of her paintings are about her family and community.
Poindexter Village-First Families in 1940, 1995, Paint on cloth
Some are the stories she has been told by her elders.
Unwritten Love Letter: Fighter for Women's Rights; Sojourner Truth, 1988
Pen and ink, thread and found objects on hand-dyed envelope
She also researches the lives of civil rights leaders,
John T. Ward Transporting Fugitives in Columbus, Ohio to Freedom, 1800s, 1982
Wood, hogmawg, and found objects
abolitionists, musicians, and writers
One Day in 1307 AD: King Abubakari II, 1985-92Button Beaded RagGonNon Music Box Pop-Up BoOK: cloth, thread, buttons, beads,
paper, paint, graphite and music boxes
and depicts them in her art.
Life Along Water Street, 2000-2007
Rag painting: cloth, buttons, thread, pen and ink, pencil, and paint on paper
Walking up 125th Street, 1989-91 (from New York Stories)
Paint on cloth
Rocks Dance in the Light, 2004
Gouache, acrylic, and ink on heavy stock
"I began drawing at the age of three. My father would give me wood to paint on and paint in little enamel tins. My studio was
under my bed...I never had any doubt
in my mind about
being an artist." --Amina Robinson