Black History Month Highlights
By Deon C. Jefferson
When you think about education and the arts, there are several names that come to mind. Every year the Black community praises individuals like Maya Angelou, Frederick Douglas, Loraine Hansberry, and Charles Henry Alston as trailblazers and orchestrators in Black art and academia. In the tradition of celebrating Black excellence, we’d like to shed light on a local artist that has been influential in the education field who now has taken the art world by storm, Andrew Hollimon, owner of Reflections by Anaalu in Palm Beach County.
Hollimon was born in the rough streets of St. Louis, Missouri. His love for art blossomed at an early age. One of the most interesting aspects to Hollimon is that he has no formal art lessons. The section he grew up in in St. Louis did not provide art lessons. Someone who took art lessons was made fun of and not really respected. Like many adolescent teens, he spent his time playing sports and making memories in the neighborhood. Instead of pursuing his obvious art talent, he enrolled into the Air Force where he stayed for four years. Ultimately, he received his MBA in Business Administration from Lindenwood University. Some of his other careers have been Director of Career Services for Patricia Stevens College, Business Administration Department Chair at Stevens Institute of Business and Art, and Sr. Human Resource manager for Express AScripts.
Hollimon’s style is mainly in two dimensional art while staying true to being a realist painter. He likes to call it “realist with a twist”. While we viewed his portfolio, we were blown away by his attention to detail. Upon looking at his artwork, you automatically see the Salvadore Dali influence. “As an artist I’m inspired Salvatore Dali, William LaChance, Jacob Lawrence, Annie Lee, Norman Rockwell,” named Hollimon. “Locally, I love the work by Lupe Lawrence. Hollimon moved to Florida in 2016, and has quickly become a force to be reckoned with.
In 2020, the pandemic was not so easy for several artists. Seeing as though Hollimon taught Business to art students, he was able to maintain and keep his head above water. “Well, certainly the virus has cut deep my opportunity to exhibit (galleries, shows etc). While Internet opportunities are ever-present, sales have been flat, “ mentions Hollimon. “Collectors in some countries have bought pieces also. Germany is one of the countries I’m selling art in. They have been on total lockdown for almost a year, and I have noticed lots of art interest from people who live in Germany.”
Black people have written the book on how to be multifaceted. Hollimon is doing what we’ve seen our parents and ancestors do for decades. Black people have always worked to have multiple streams of income or they developed a side hobby/business that became lucrative. Hollimon started to take art seriously later on in life so he has experienced some bumps along the way.
“My art work in my home studio picked-up during the virus due to sheltering at home. Sales are down, production is up and that isn’t a tenable situation for an artist,” mentioned Hollimon.
So, we salute you Andrew Hollimon for being a true gem to the African American Community. You have shown us that men can be serious international artists and that we can be knowledgeable in many different disciplines. Happy Black History Month; thanks for building a history worth talking about. Hollimon’s work has been seen internationally and has been featured in many publications.
