Alicia Henry


Alicia Henry was an American contemporary artist who lived, worked, and taught in Nashville. Henry was an associate professor in the Language and Arts Department at Fisk University. Henry created multi-media artwork that focused on themes of the body and identity. She used materials such as wood, fabric, paper and pigment for her creations. Henry received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Master of Fine Arts from the School of Art at Yale University.

Work

Henry made layered, figurative textile wall hangings from stitched and hand-embroidered dyed cotton, leather, felt, linen, and burlap. Her work explored themes of familial relationships, beauty, the body and identity.

Career

Alicia Henry's work has been exhibited at various institutions including the Whitney Museum, The Drawing Center, Carnegie Museum of Art, Frist Art Museum and the Cheekwood Museum of Art. From January 26, 2019 to May 12, 2019, Henry had her first Canadian exhibition at The Power Plant in Toronto, Ontario. The exhibition was entitled Witnessing and it consisted of many two-dimensional mixed media figures as well as group compositions. From May 26, 2021 to July 3, 2021, Henry had her first solo exhibition, Alicia Henry: To Whom It May Concern in the United Kingdom at .

Personal life and death

Henry was diagnosed with cancer in the early 2020s. She died from the disease on October 17, 2024, at the age of 58.

Honors

Selected group exhibitions