Lonnie Holley

Lonnie Holley, born in 1950 in Birmingham, Alabama, is a self-taught visual artist, musician, and storyteller whose work has captivated audiences across the United States and beyond. Raised in the Deep South during the Civil Rights era, Holley's life was marked by hardship and survival, experiences that profoundly influence his art. He began creating sculptural works in the late 1970s, repurposing found and discarded materials into poetic, evocative assemblages that speak to themes of memory, resilience, and the African American experience.

Holley’s sculptures have been widely exhibited in major museums, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition to his visual art, Holley is also an acclaimed experimental musician, known for his improvisational style that merges unconventional sounds with deeply personal, stream-of-consciousness lyrics. Through both his art and his music, Lonnie Holley continues to explore the complexities of history, spirituality, and survival, establishing himself as a vital voice in contemporary American culture.