Lancaster’s Museum of Art and History (MOAH) is honored to host Charles Dickson: Legacy, A Lifetime Survey, as part of the museum’s current Legacy exhibition. On Thursday, February 19 at 6 p.m., sculptor Charles Dickson will give a walk-through of his exhibit featuring his iconic mixed-media sculptures. As a key figure in the renaissance of African-American sculptural art in Los Angeles for well over 40 years, and artist-in-residence at the Watts Towers Cultural Center, Mr. Dickson is a treasured leader in the legacy of west coast African-American culture. 
Mr. Dickson is known for utilizing bronze, wood, plastics, repurposed car parts, beads, animal hides, shells, wire, glass and other found objects. While exploring and celebrating African-American cultural heritage, his work also addresses the loss of black culture during slavery. Dickson is celebrated for rebuilding and creating a distinctive west coast aesthetic, centered on the more expressive and inventive characteristics of African-American artistic practice in southern California.
During his gallery walk-through on February 19, Mr. Dickson will discuss the meaning behind the materials found in his work and the way in which he is inspired by materials to bring his ideas to life. He will showcase a selection of his handmade tools which have allowed him to achieve breakthrough work, incorporating unexpected materials which would otherwise not have become part of a piece. Dickson will also share how the technical and scientific aspects of art-making inform his process and how inventing new tools is vital to his growth as an artist.
In addition to his multi-media work, Mr. Dickson is an accomplished wood carver and bronze sculptor; materials which he has utilized to explore the female figure. His work with black nudes became the precursor for a much larger artistic dialogue about the politics of beauty and how the consequences of slavery reverberate in contemporary society. He will discuss the importance of female identity in his work, which is featured in numerous sculptures throughout the Legacy exhibit.
MOAH invites the public to enjoy this free event as Mr. Dickson, a delightfully spirited man and dynamic artist, will inform and enchant us with his personal stories and distinctive creative practice while challenging our pre-conceptions about black art in America.
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