Cynthia Hawkins
(b. 1950)1987–88 Artist in ResidencePainter, curator, and academic Cynthia Hawkins engages with geometric phenomena present in nature. Her abstract paintings reveal an improvisational approach, as well as center the potency of symbols and mathematical algorithms.
Biography
During her childhood, Hawkins would often check out Gardner’s Art Through the Ages from the library. She was especially fascinated by Cycladic figurines, cave paintings, and totemic sculptures, which she cites as key influences in her abstract paintings. Her use of color is also heavily influenced by the paintings of Josef Albers, Johannes Itten, Paul Klee, and Piet Mondrian. As an undergraduate student and into her years as an artist, Hawkins frequented the Black-owned gallery scenes of New York in the 1970s and 1980s. During her time at Queens College, Hawkins made a good friend, Irene Wheeler, who introduced her to artists such as Romare Bearden, Ernest Crichlow, and Norman Lewis. Hawkins participated as an artist in residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem from 1987 to 1988, alongside artists Francisco Alvarado and Linda Whitaker.
Hawkins has taken various teaching positions across the United States, teaching as an adjunct professor at Northampton Community College, SUNY Rockland Community College, and SUNY Geneseo. Before enrolling in the MA program at Seton Hall University, Hawkins also took on the role of gallery director at Cedar Crest College in 2000, and in 2007, she became the gallery director and curator at SUNY Geneseo.
The artist received a BA in art from CUNY, Queens College, an MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art, and an MA in museum studies from Seton Hall University. She also received her doctorate in American studies from the University of Buffalo, SUNY. Her work has been included in exhibitions at institutions such as the Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York; Buffalo Science Museum, Buffalo, New York; Jamaica Art Center, New York; Just Above Midtown/Downtown Gallery, New York; Kenkeleba Gallery, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the Mississippi Museum of Art. Her work is in public collections, including the Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York; La Grange Art Museum, Georgia; and the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York. The Studio Museum in Harlem first acquired Hawkins's work in 1989.
Cynthia Hawkins
(b. 1950)1987–88 Artist in ResidencePainter, curator, and academic Cynthia Hawkins engages with geometric phenomena present in nature. Her abstract paintings reveal an improvisational approach, as well as center the potency of symbols and mathematical algorithms.
Currency in Meaning #11, 1989
Biography
During her childhood, Hawkins would often check out Gardner’s Art Through the Ages from the library. She was especially fascinated by Cycladic figurines, cave paintings, and totemic sculptures, which she cites as key influences in her abstract paintings. Her use of color is also heavily influenced by the paintings of Josef Albers, Johannes Itten, Paul Klee, and Piet Mondrian. As an undergraduate student and into her years as an artist, Hawkins frequented the Black-owned gallery scenes of New York in the 1970s and 1980s. During her time at Queens College, Hawkins made a good friend, Irene Wheeler, who introduced her to artists such as Romare Bearden, Ernest Crichlow, and Norman Lewis. Hawkins participated as an artist in residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem from 1987 to 1988, alongside artists Francisco Alvarado and Linda Whitaker.
Hawkins has taken various teaching positions across the United States, teaching as an adjunct professor at Northampton Community College, SUNY Rockland Community College, and SUNY Geneseo. Before enrolling in the MA program at Seton Hall University, Hawkins also took on the role of gallery director at Cedar Crest College in 2000, and in 2007, she became the gallery director and curator at SUNY Geneseo.
The artist received a BA in art from CUNY, Queens College, an MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art, and an MA in museum studies from Seton Hall University. She also received her doctorate in American studies from the University of Buffalo, SUNY. Her work has been included in exhibitions at institutions such as the Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York; Buffalo Science Museum, Buffalo, New York; Jamaica Art Center, New York; Just Above Midtown/Downtown Gallery, New York; Kenkeleba Gallery, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the Mississippi Museum of Art. Her work is in public collections, including the Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York; La Grange Art Museum, Georgia; and the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York. The Studio Museum in Harlem first acquired Hawkins's work in 1989.