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Elmer Lucille Allen
Ceramic artist and chemist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Elmer Lucille Allen (born in Louisville, Kentucky, August 23, 1931) is an American ceramic artist and chemist. She graduated from Nazareth College (now Spalding University) in 1953.[1] Both her father and brother (who also went by the endearment "Bud") were named Elmer and the family chose to name her Elmer Lucille (though at home her family also called her "Cile").[2][3] She became the first African-American chemist at Brown-Forman in 1966.[4]
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Biography
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Early life
Allen was born on August 23, 1931, as Elmer Lucille Hammonds, to mother Ophelia Guinn Hammonds and father Elmer Hammonds.[5] She was born in the Depression era in Louisville, Kentucky, specifically the Russell neighborhood. At the time, the city was segregated.[6] In an interview she stated that she "never went to school with whites" until she was a junior in college.[1][6]
She took her first art class, a sewing class, in seventh grade at Madison Street Junior High School. She stated in an interview that the first artist she identified with was her teacher, Ms. Hattie Figg, who taught painting at the junior high. She learned many functional crafts in junior high, such as shoe repair, printing, sewing, and carpentry. She also learned various crafts at the Plymouth Settlement House and Presbyterian Community Center. She was also a Girl Scout, and this activity fostered her interest in art.
She graduated from Central High School in 1949, at a time when African-American women had very few opportunities available to them. She attended Louisville Municipal College, a co-ed, all Black school (part of University of Louisville) from 1949 to 1951 and then switched to Nazareth College where she was one of only a few Black students. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Nazareth College in 1953.[7]
She received an honorary street name sign regarding her contributions to Louisville science and culture, which reads: "Elmer Lucille Allen Way". It is located on the corner of Winnrose Way and Fairland Place in Louisville, KY.[8]
Early career
In her youth, Elmer Lucille Allen worked as a babysitter and a house cleaner to help pay for college.[2]
In 1969, Elmer Lucille Allen, a scientist and artist from the Chickasaw Little League created the Chickasaw Little League. The little league was in operation for 3–4 years and was made to accommodate the children who lived in the Chickasaw neighborhood who could not participate in the little league held in Shawnee Park.[9]
Elmer Lucille Allen became involved in the Louisville arts scene in 1980s. She helped form the Kentucky Coalition of African American Arts and was a founding member of the Arts Council of Louisville.[1]
Chemistry career
In April 1966, Elmer Lucille Allen began working for Brown-Forman, a distillery specializing in whiskeys. When Allen began working there she was only one of a few woman in a non-secretarial job as well as the first black working for the company.[10] Retiring in 1997, Allen worked with Brown-Forman for a total of 31 years, rising through the ranks and researching the chemistry involved in the grain based components of whiskey making (malt, corn, etc.)[6] She also met her husband, Roy Allan, whom also worked for the Brown-Forman company (food services).[11]
She was honored by the Kentucky Black Bourbon Guild for her significant impact on the bourbon industry. They recognize her legacy as an inspiration to young black women within the field today. The organization is in the process of developing a commemorative bottle as well as a scholarship fund in her name.[12]
Art career
In the 1970s her doctor recommended her to try ceramics as a way to help ease the arthritis in her hands. Through an art therapist at Seneca High School, she started her ceramic career, in the class she met ceramic graduates from University of Louisville and they suggested that she take classes at the university.[13] Starting in 1981 she began to study art at the University of Louisville, receiving her Masters of Creative Arts with a focus in ceramics and fiber in 2002.[14] Allen's textile work incorporates shibori dyeing techniques.[15]
Speaking of her ceramics, Allen states, "I make the things that I want, and I have always liked teapots." She enjoys the fact that if she made something she did not like, she could simply start over again. Her platters are typically dark and molten, while her teapots are colorful and graphic. She states, "When I rented my first studio in 2005 at Mellwood, I knew that I was truly an artist."[16]
In 2004, she became the first recipient of the Kentucky Arts Council Governor's Award in the Arts for Community Arts.[17]
In 2019, the Imagine 2020 Mural Festival commissioned artist Brandon Marshall to create a mural celebrating the life Elmer Lucille Allen.[18]
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Exhibits
- 2010 -- "Absence and Presence: The Art of Elmer Lucille Allen and Valerie White" at E&S Gallery.[19]
- 2011 -- Powering Creativity: Air, Fuel, Heat at the Carnegie Center for Art and History in New Albany, Indiana.[20]
- 2016 -- Women's Artist Exhibition: The African Heritage Experience at the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage.[21]
- 2020 -- "African-American Women: Celebrating Diversity in Art" at KORE Gallery, Louisville, Kentucky.[22]
- 2023 -- "Remembrance," an exhibition honoring Lida Gordon by Bette Levy, Elmer Lucille Allen, Denise Furnish, and Melinda Snyder at PYRO, Louisville, Ky.[23]
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Awards
- 1986 – Governor's Award in the Arts (Kentucky)[24]
- This award is given to major contributors in the arts community each year
- 2004—Kentucky's Community Arts Lifetime Local Achievement Award
- Lucille Allen was given this award for her success in the arts, specifically in fiber and ceramics
- 2004—Woman of Distinction
- 2007 -- "Women of Spunk" from Actors Theatre
- 2011 – Caritas Medal Spalding University[25]
- This is the highest award given by Spalding University to alum
- 2015 – Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft's Art Advocacy Award[15]
- 2015—Community Spirit Award given by the University of Louisville College of Arts and Science and the Yearlings Club
- 2016—Parkland Rising Up Project
- 2016 -- Louisville Defender – Lifetime Community Service Recognition Award
- 2016—Outstanding Community Leader by Metro Council
- 2019 -- Louisville Free Public Library's Pillars of Louisville[26]
References
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