Ron Adams

The life of Ron Adams has from his youth been inexorably linked to the graphic arts. Born in 1934 in Detroit, Adams studied drawing, technical illustration, and commercial art at a broad range of schools, primarily located in Los Angeles. It was in Los Angeles at the age of 29 that he began working at the esteemed graphic workshop, Gemini G.E.L.. Beginning his tenure as an assistant printer, Adams soon received the honor of Master Printer and the opportunity to work with many leading contemporary artists including Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, and Ellsworth Kelly. In 1973, he left Los Angeles For Editions Press in San Francisco before moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he opened Hand Graphics the following year. There he collaborated with such artists as Judy Chicago, Luis Jimenez, John Biggers, and Charles White. After thirteen years as owner and director of Hand Graphics, Adams sold the business in 1987 to turn exclusively to producing his own art. Joseph Mella, art curator for the Fine Arts Gallery notes that "Adams has distinguished himself three-fold: as a master printer of the highest order, as a successful business person in a kind of business that is more prone to failure than success, and as a strong graphic artist who has given us some of the most powerful images of African Americans of our time." Adams has been honored with over 40 exhibitions. He has served as curator, artist in residence, and guest instructor at many institutions. Adams has participated on panel discussions on the arts and printmaking and has served as art commissioner for the state of New Mexico. His work is held in many public and private collections that includes: National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian, Washington D.C., Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe; Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe; Bronx Museum, Bronx, New York; and the Museum of Art, University of Arizona, Tucson.Source: Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Galleryhttp://www.tfaoi.com/aa/1aa/1aa255.htm