MS SC538

Recognizes Mary Lovelace O'Neal as the recipient of the 2022 Governor's Arts Award for Excellence in Visual Art

O'Neal is a celebrated contemporary abstract artist and arts educator who grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, and became a leading figure in the Black Arts Movement

She was the first African American in the University of California, Berkeley's Department of Art Practice to earn tenure and chair the department

O'Neal studied at Howard University under David Driskell, received a scholarship to the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, and earned her MFA from Columbia University where she developed her breakthrough "Lamp Black" series

The Governor's Arts Awards Program, established in 1988, recognizes outstanding work in artistic disciplines and is presented in partnership with the Governor's Office