Determined to Be: The Sculpture of John Rhoden

Determined to Be explores the work of prizewinning American sculptor John Walter Rhoden (1916-2001). When Rhoden was young, his talent caught the attention of several notable mentors: he was advised by Hale Woodruff and Alain Locke as well as sculptors Richmond Barthé and William Zorach. He went on to travel the world and became the first Black visual artist to win the Prix de Rome from the American Academy in Rome. Contributing scholars explore various aspects of Rhoden’s life and career, including how the artist was shaped by his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, and his training and professional networks. Essays also consider how his time in Italy and his years in Indonesia expanded the scale and scope of his sculpture. Other topics include Rhoden’s travels, public commissions, and oeuvre in the context of Cold War modernism, as well as media coverage of his career in the mainstream and Black press. Approximately 150 images, including stunning new photography, showcase the technical sophistication of Rhoden’s work, and archival materials from the recently processed John Rhoden papers shed new light on the life of this significant underrecognized sculptor.

Contributors: Greg Barnhisel, Katelyn D. Crawford, Sylvea Hollis, Hannah McCoy, Rebecca VanDiver, and Kelin Baldridge Smallwood