The Krasl Art Center has issued a statement honoring the memory of prominent sculptor Richard Hunt, who was associated with the Krasl for decades and recently donated his Benton Harbor studio for future development by the Krasl.
The Krasl statement is headed with a quote from Hunt, expressing his philosophy:
“I am interested more than anything else in being a free person.
To me, that means that I can make what I want to make,
regardless of what anyone else thinks I should make.”
~ Richard Hunt
This past weekend we learned that our dear friend, artist, and donor Richard Hunt passed away. Hunt has been a part of the Benton Harbor – St. Joseph community since 1995 when the internationally renowned sculptor opened a satellite studio at 258 Territorial Road. Hunt was invited to establish the space as part of the Community Renewal Through the Arts program. He had friends in our community, but more importantly, he believed in the arts as a critical component of civic life. Hunt made the decision to be part of a nascent arts district and to help foster a sense of place and belonging. After 28 years of creating in the space, Hunt gifted his studio to Krasl Art Center this past spring with the request that it remain rooted in the arts and be an active, vibrant resource to Benton Harbor. This is but one thread in the singular story of Richard Hunt’s life.
Richard Howard Hunt was born in Chicago 1935. His father, Cleophus Howard Hunt was a barbershop owner, and his mother, Etroia Inez Hunt was the first black librarian in the city of Chicago. He had one sister, Marian Hunt, named after Marian Anderson who sang on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. just weeks before Hunt’s sister was born.
Before graduating from college at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1957, Hunt already had artwork in prestigious collections. After college, he served in the US Army. In the 1960s, Hunt appeared in Life Magazine, as well as the then landmark publication Great Negroes: Past and Present. In 1968, he was appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson to serve on the National Council for Arts. In 1971, Hunt was featured in a retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, New York and established his Chicago studio in Lincoln Park while still in his 30s.
Hunt had many, many decades of prestigious exhibitions, commissions and collection acquisitions. He completed over 160 public art commissions across 24 states and held 18 honorary degrees. He was the recipient of the International Sculpture Center’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2009), and Chicago’s Fifth Star Award honoring artists whose careers have deeply impacted the cultural life of Chicago (2014). Hunt’s sculpture Swing Low is prominently installed inside the entrance to the African American History and Culture Museum in Washington, D.C. (2018), and he was the very first artist commissioned by the Obama Foundation (Book Bird, 2022).
Well done, Richard Hunt. We marvel at you, we love you,
and you will be deeply missed.
Richard Hunt will receive a private funeral in Chicago, followed by a public celebration of art and life in the spring. A local celebration in Benton Harbor will be held as well – details forthcoming.
