THE HOWARD THURMAN CENTER at BOSTON UNIVERSITY
George Sherman Union, Lower Level
775 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
ARTS CRAWL 2014
True Story
Yup, that little dude in the picture is me standing in front of the TOEI Animation Company in Tokyo, Japan in the early eighties. Like a lot of my peers at the time, I was completely strung out on Speed Racer, Force Five, Space Cruiser Yamato (Star Blazers), Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets), etc, etc. I was one of those kids who excelled in art throughout grade school and high school and would often be given special assignments to do, independent of the other students and regular curriculum. I got in a lot of trouble with my high school art professors because, in my opinion, Japanese animation was superior to American animation. And since every teenager thinks they know everything, I would express my opinion whenever I got the chance. They didn’t necessarily disagree with me. They just felt that I was overlooking popular American trailblazers like Disney, Max Fleisher, Chuck Jones and Warner Bros. So as a freshman, they enrolled me in a student exchange program, typically something most students didn’t do until their junior or senior year. I was studying Anime in high school, so it was a no-brainer as to where I chose to go. Needles to say, the experience at that young age changed my life and view point on all forms of art…for the better. And the best part about it was the host family I stayed with in Tokyo, literally lived right down the street from TOEI Animation. Hard to believe, but true. Several years later when I decided to pursue a career in comics, I tripped-out when I started seeing American comic book artists incorporating manga and anime styles into their sequential story-telling, like they were doing or inventing something new. Whatever. Been there, done that.
…and my original anime cell and toy collection is vintage now and NO joke. I must have brought back double my luggage 🙂
Peace,
R
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Tagged Japan, Rob Stull, Rob Stull Art, Rob Stull Artist, TOEI Animation company, Tokyo
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Making History
Through my involvement with The History Makers organization, I am now officially archived in The Library of Congress in Washington, DC! So proud and honored to be a part of this great institution! Read all about it…
Background
The History Makers is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving African American history as the missing link in American history. Since 1999, The History Makers have been recording African American oral histories to refashion a more inclusive record of American history and to educate and enlighten millions worldwide. To date, it is the largest archive of its kind in the world.
The BIG News…
(From the Press Release)
The Library of Congress
Announced as Permanent Repository for
The HistoryMakers Collection
June 24, 2014
The Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, announced today the donation of a video archive of thousands of hours of interviews-The History Makers-that captures African-American life, history and culture as well as the struggles and achievements of the black experience.
“The History Makers archive provides invaluable first-person accounts of both well-known and unsung African-Americans, detailing their hopes, dreams and accomplishments-often in the face of adversity,” said Billington. “This culturally important collection is a rich and diverse resource for scholars, teachers, students and documentarians seeking a more complete record of our nation’s history and its people.”
“The History Makers represents the single largest archival project of its kind since the Works Progress Administration’s initiative to document the experiences of former slaves in the 1930s,” said Julieanna Richardson, founder and executive director of The History Makers. “This relationship with the Library of Congress represents a momentous occasion for our organization. With the Library of Congress serving as our permanent repository, we are assured of its preservation and safekeeping for generations to come.”
The collection includes 9,000 hours of content that includes 14,000 analog tapes, 3,000 DVDs, 6,000 born-digital files, 70,000 paper documents and digital files and more than 30,000 digital photographs. The History Makers has provided the Library with digital files of all of the analog tapes.
“The collection is one of the most well-documented and organized audiovisual collections that the Library of Congress has ever acquired,” said Mike Mashon, head of the Library’s Moving Image Section. “It is also one of the first born-digital collections accepted into our nation’s repository.”
The collection boasts a long list of notables. They include President Barack Obama when he was an Illinois state senator, General Colin Powell, child advocate Marion Wright Edelman, baseball legend Ernie Banks, entertainer/activist Harry Belafonte, poet/writer Maya Angelou, historian Lerone Bennett, Massachusetts Senator Edward Brooke, movie producer Reuben Cannon, historian John Hope Franklin, publisher Earl Graves, singer Isaac Hayes, Attorney General Eric Holder, musician B.B. King, poet Nikki Giovanni and actors Diahann Carroll, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.
An article by The New York Times announcing the collaboration: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/24/us/library-of-congress-to-host-collection-of-african-american-interviews.html
…The world’s largest archive of African American oral histories, and Washington has recognized and acknowledged its significance. Well Done!!
Peace,
R
Posted in Blog, Events, Press
Tagged Julieanna Richardson, Rob Stull, Rob Stull Art, Rob Stull Artist, The History Makers, The Library of Congress
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CONNECTION
THE HOWARD THURMAN CENTER at BOSTON UNIVERSITY
George Sherman Union, Lower Level
775 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
Posted in Blog, Events, Press
Tagged Boston University, Howard Thurman Center, Rob Stull, Rob Stull Art, Rob Stull Artist, Rob Stull-CONNECTION
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RAH DIGGA
Last week I spent the day at Project Hip-Hop with the legendary MC and former first lady of Flipmode Squad, Rah Digga. She talked about her history in the rap game, and I talked about my work in the comic book industry to some of the most gifted, talented and creative young people in Boston. The day ended with an incredible open-mic session that completely blew me away. Hip-Hop Lives!
R
The Tuxedo 8
If I receive a million awards in my lifetime, they’ll be hard pressed to match the personal significance of this honor. The Tuxedo 8 is an event honoring the creative vision and brotherhood of eight men. Collectively we are illustrators, photojournalists, entertainers, producers, directors and more. Organized by long time friend and Emmy award-winning visionary, Wyatt Jackson.
From the top, left to right, we are: Issa Bibbins, Robby Thomas, John Matthew Borders IV, Turahn Dorsey, Trinidad Ramkissoon, Don West, Rob Stull, Lou Jones and Wyatt Jackson. Well Done Gentlemen! Let’s all keep up the good work!
R
Posted in Blog, Events, Press
Tagged Don West, Issa Bibbins, John Matthew Borders IV, Lou Jones, Rob Stull, Robby Thomas, Trinidad Ramkissoon, Turahn Dorsey, Wyatt Jackson
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AfriCOBRA – African Commune Of Bad Relevant Artists (“Bad” meaning good)
As a budding young artist, I was heavily influenced by the art and people of AfriCOBRA. Many thanks to my parents, for providing me with information and an introduction into this world. It was at an age when I was probably too young to fully appreciate it, but the impression was made…and it was good. The individuals and artists I met as a child, helped form my perspective and way of thinking artistically as an adult. It’s important that we honor our pioneers and keep their legacy alive. It’s equally as important that we, as artists, leave a quality product for future generations.
In Chicago in 1968, a group of artists came together and began to define a uniquely black aesthetic in visual arts. They sought to make art that spoke directly to the needs, aspirations and experiences of black America, and that celebrated what was beautiful and heroic about black culture. The seed of what would become the AfriCOBRA collective was planted at the “Wall of Respect,” a mural on a Chicago building that depicted black heroes and leaders. The wall became both a meeting place and the community’s visual affirmation of African American cultural, intellectual and political heritage. AfriCOBRA was more than a collection of artists; it was a passionate call for freedom founded on a set of philosophical and aesthetic principles. In the struggle for liberation and equality within the African-American community, AfriCOBRA represented these principles through the medium of art.
AfriCOBRA was the blueprint for AWOL (Artists With Out Limits) founded in 1989 in Boston; a multi-faceted art production company that ranged in art from graphic design and fine art, to spoken word, music, dance and a variety of other artistic genre derived from the black urban experience.
Connection-Inspiration-Creation. That’s the formula…pass it on.
Peace,
R
Posted in Blog
Tagged Adger Cowans, AfriCOBRA, Akili Ron Anderson, Alain Martineau, Artists With Out Limits, AWOL, Barbara Jones-Hogu, Carolyn Lawrence, Dave Taylor-DS7, Frank Smith, Gerald Williams, Howard Mallory, Jae Jarrell, James Phillips, Jeff Donaldson, Katro Storm, Michael Harris, Murry DePillars, Napoleon Jones-Henderson, Nelson Stevens, Raquib Abdal Khabir, Rob Stull, Rob Stull Art, Rob Stull Artist, Wadsworth Jarrell
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BLACK HISTORY – THE NEXT STEP
SEQUENTIAL ART: THE NEXT STEP was a first of its kind traveling exhibit spotlighting the contributions of African Americans to mainstream comic book art and popular culture. It was created and curated by yours truly (Rob Stull) in 1994. The exhibit’s mission was to increase the understanding, appreciation and awareness of sequential art. The secondary aspect was to empower people of all ages and races, by bringing attention to the fact that talented artists of color not only work on characters like Batman, Spider-Man, JLA and the X-Men, but we also create, write, illustrate, produce and publish our own properties as well. The Next Step debuted at The FESTIVAL OF CARTOON ART in 1995; an event organized by Ohio State University’s Cartoon, Graphic and Photographic Arts Research Library, which is the world’s largest archive of original cartoon art. 1995 marked the centennial celebration of the American comic strip and my exhibit featured the first ever gathering of comic book artists in the history of the festival. From that beginning, The Next Step was featured at The NATIONAL CENTER OF AFRO-AMERICAN ARTISTS in Boston, The WORDS AND PICTURES MUSEUM in Northampton, MA, The AFRO-AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER in Charlotte, NC and The TUBMAN MUSEUM in Macon, GA. The exhibit traveled for a total of ten years and showcased over one hundred works of art by both independent and mainstream contemporary African American comic book artists.
Credit is given where it is due to anyone who ever participated or supported. The Next Step IS Black History. You were all a part of it. And for that, I thank you…
Dawud Anyabwile, Darryl Banks, Eric Battle, Gloretta Baynes, Jeff Bruce, Stanford Carpenter, Lucy Caswell, Chris Cross, Said Dabinga, Malcolm Davis, Shelton Drum, William H. Foster III, Barry Gaither, Keron Grant, Grey, N Steven Harris, Harry Harrison, Don Hillsman, Jamal Igle, Georges Jeanty, Hannibal King, Mshindo Kuumba 1, Ken Lashley, Tonia Magras, Walter McDaniel, Mark Morales, Jason Pearson, Fiona Russell, Alex Simmons, Louis Small Jr, JD Smith, Jeff Smith, Brian Stelfreeze, Larry Stroman, Bettye Stull, Dexter Vines, Karen Holmes Ward, The Afro-American Cultural Center, The National Center of Afro-American Artists, City Line (WCVB-TV), The Boston Globe, Heroes Convention, King Arts Complex, Ohio State University, PBS (WGBH-TV), The Tubman Museum and The Words and Pictures Museum.
Rest In Power to fallen soldiers Tom Feelings and Steven Hughes
Peace,
R
(left to right) Hannibal King, Alex Simmons, Mark Morales, the late Steven Hughes, Grey and Jamal Igle (front) Louis Small Jr and Rob Stull (at The Words and Pictures Museum in 1998)
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Tagged African-American comic book artists, African-American contributions to comic book art and popular culture, Alex Simmons, Barry Gaither, Bettye Stull, Black comic book art exhibit, Black Comic Book Artists, Black History, Brian Stelfreeze, Chris Cross, Darryl Banks, Dawud Anyabwile, Dexter Vines, Don Hillsman, Eric Battle, Exhibit featuring African-American comic book artists, Exhibit featuring black comic book artists, First of its kind, Gloretta Baynes, Hannibal King, Harry Harrison, Heroes Convention, Jamal Igle, Jason Pearson, JD Smith, Jeff Bruce, Ken Lashley, Keron Grant, King Arts Complex, Larry Stroman, Louis Small Jr, Malcolm Davis, Mark Morales, Mshindo Kuumba 1, N Steven Harris, Ohio State University, Rob Stull, Rob Stull Art, sequential art, Sequential Art: The Next Step, Stanford Carpenter, The Afro-American Cultural Center, The National Center of Afro-American Artists, The Next Step, The Tubman Museum, The Words and Pictures Museum, Walter McDaniel, William H. Foster III
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Process…
I’ll be teaching comics classes at the Eliot School in Boston starting in January.
More info: http://eliotschool.org/classes/comics-i-age-9-12
Posted in Blog, Press
Tagged Rob Stull, Rob Stull Art, Rob Stull Artist, The Eliot School
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The Eternal Warrior – MADIBA
“The race is not given to the swift, but to those who can endure to the end.” ~ Nelson Mandela.
A piece I originally produced in 1990 to commemorate Mandela’s release from prison. This image was part of a series featuring African American leaders within the civil rights movement. Rest In Peace Eternal Warrior and Thank You.
R.
