TAWA at 45
The Exhibition
Carol Mitchell
Point of No Return
giclee print, 2016; 20.5″h x 20.5″w
Carol Mitchell always loved art. She was given a marionette at a young age in Berkeley CA. This would turn into a love of building puppets and sharing this skill with all ages for six decades. After high school, Mitchell attended the University of the Arts for a brief time majoring in fiber design. From there she would seek art teachers and art classes at other colleges in graphics, printmaking and costume design. Mitchell received her BA in fine arts from The College of New Jersey (Trenton State College) in 1981.
She took her first puppetry class and the instructor allowed her to work with students from the Afrikan People’s Action School (A.P.A.S.) located in Trenton, NJ. Mikini Niliwaambieni, an A.P.A.S. teacher and Carol Mitchell co-founded the A.P.A.S. Children’s’ Theatre Company, in 1980. As creative director, Carol designed puppets, masks, and the theater company’s logo. Mitchell also attended Continuing Education Workshops for Teachers, featuring Jim Hensen’s Puppeteers, hosted by The James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, PA. Mitchell expanded her interest in printmaking after receiving two scholarships to study lithography with Bob Blackburn at Robert Blackburn’s Printmaking Studio in New York City. Mitchell’s work has appeared on the cover several publications. Mitchell designed the cover for Fire II, the college magazine, which was named after Fire !!, a literary magazine published in 1925 during the Harlem Renaissance. These publications are in The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. Mitchell’s art was on the cover of Crisis magazine, N.A.A.C.P. membership publication in 1982. Mitchell has been in numerous exhibitions. In 2006 the African American Museum of Philadelphia celebrated their 30th anniversary, “Silent Voices, Loud Echoes;” Mitchell was fortunate to have her “Truth Survives Time,” selected to be in the exhibit.
“My art usually starts with a black and white sketch. Sometimes it takes months or even years to develop a design; other times it happens instantly as if coming through me. My art reflects a journey through the African American Diaspora. Wherever the story takes me, I may be inspired by a memory, history lost or stolen or denied, a folk tale, a parable, music, or dance. I use fiber, textures, print, video, puppets, and masks to express my feelings. The best reaction to a story I’ve told was happy tears. The best story is one that inspires the viewer to tell their own story.”