Dindga McCannon
Born & Lives in:
Philadelphia, USA
Location
- Art Gallery of New South Wales
Born and raised in Harlem, McCannon emerged as a self-taught artist and young mother amid the civil rights movement and the rise of feminist art. She became a leading figure in an alternative African American art ecosystem, co-founding the Weusi collective and Where We At: Black Women Artists, the first collective dedicated to African American women artists. Informally trained by Harlem Renaissance artists such as Jacob Lawrence and Charles Alston, McCannon later turned to quilting, drawing on family traditions of sewing and crochet. Her mixed-media paintings, quilts, and works on paper centre the lives of women—iconic figures, unsung heroines, and members of her Harlem community. By merging fine art with practices historically dismissed as “women’s work,” McCannon forged a groundbreaking practice whose influence continues to resonate across generations.
Dindga McCannon, Sarah’s Story (South Africa), 2015. Courtesy of the artist and Fridman Gallery, New York © Dindga McCannon. Installation view, 25th Biennale of Sydney, Rememory, 2026, Art Gallery of New South Wales. Photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins.
Dindga McCannon, Althea Gibson, First African American to Win Wimbledon 1957, 2012. Courtesy of the artist and Sharjah Art Foundation © Dindga McCannon. Installation view, 25th Biennale of Sydney, Rememory, 2026, Art Gallery of New South Wales. Photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins.
Dindga McCannon, Threads of the Past, Inspiration for the Future, 2000. Courtesy of the artist and Fridman Gallery, New York © Dindga McCannon. Installation view, 25th Biennale of Sydney, Rememory, 2026, Art Gallery of New South Wales. Photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Felicity Jenkins.
Dindga McCannon
Born 1947, New York City, USA
Lives and works in Philadelphia and New York City, USA
Sarah’s Story (South Africa) 2015
woven cotton fabric, cotton thread, leather, ink handstamp, hand-sewn embroidery, metallic paint
Courtesy of the artist and Fridman Gallery
Althea Gibson, first African American to win Wimbledon 1957 2012
woven cotton fabric, cotton thread, hand-sewn embroidery, synthetic polymer paint
Courtesy of the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection
Threads of the Past, Inspiration for the Future 2000
woven cotton fabric, wool yarn, cotton thread, hand-sewn embroidery, synthetic polymer paint Courtesy of the artist and Fridman Gallery
Raised in Harlem and the Bronx, Dindga McCannon is a pillar of contemporary African American art and a pioneer of textile assemblage, found-object quilting and wearable art. McCannon was a member of noteworthy collectives affiliated with the Black Arts Movement in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Weusi Artist Collective; she also co-founded ‘Where We At’ Black Women Artists Inc. McCannon’s body of work is built upon generations of avant-garde Black art and continues to expand that tradition.
Using paint, fabric and personal objects, McCannon imbues each of these works with the vibrancy and richness of her world, and that of her ancestors. Her distinctive style focuses on the stories of Black women, from public figures to friends, family and anonymous heroines – all of whom ‘refuse to take no for an answer and push the limits of what’s possible’. McCannon emerged at a time when career and creative opportunities for African American women were limited. Her radical vision claimed space for Black women’s lives to be seen, honoured and boldly expressed.