Verna Hart
Verna Hart was an African-American artist known for her expressionist painting focused on jazz music. She was born and raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.
Early life
Hart was born in Harlem to Earl Alphonso Hart, a detective sergeant in the New York City Police, and Pauline Hart. They moved to Middle Village, Queens when she was four.While studying at Andrew Jackson High School in Cambria Heights, Queens, she took painting classes at Cooper Union. She continued her education at the School of Visual Arts with a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting, a master's of fine arts in painting from Pratt Institute and a master's in education supervision and administration from the Bank Street College of Education, both in 1991.
Career
Hart was an art teacher at Springfield Gardens High School in Queens and at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York in Brooklyn.Hart's work has been featured at United States embassies in Africa and other United States Department of State offices.
In 1999 was commissioned by the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The installation is a prominent feature at the Myrtle Avenue station (BMT Jamaica Line) in Brooklyn. It consists of stained glass windows on the platforms' sign structures as well as the station house depicting various scenes related to music.
Hart's work was shown throughout the 1980's and 1990's at James Powers (gallerist) gallery Spiral, a space in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn that focused on the work of Black artists. Hart was also exhibited at Dorsey's Fine Art Gallery.