amina robinson

Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson

Artist and storyteller

Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson was born in Columbus,

Ohio, in 1940.

When she was a little girl, her father taught her how to draw and how to make books from homemade paper.

• He taught her how to "hogmawg," a collection of mud, clay, twigs, leaves, lime, animal grease, and glue, to create art.

Life in Sellsville (1871-1900), 1987Wood, hogmawg, mud, and found objects

Aminah creates sculptures,

Mt. Vernon Avenue, South Side of Street, 1900-1957/Page Three: Memory Map, 1989-92RagGanon: paint on cloth with thread and buttons

rag paintings on cloth,

Poindexter Village Quilt, 1966-1984RagGonNon with buttons, beads, cowrie shells, thread, wool, rags, and cloth

Many of her paintings are about her family and community.

Poindexter Village-First Families in 1940, 1995, Paint on cloth

Some are the stories she has been told by her elders.

Unwritten Love Letter: Fighter for Women's Rights; Sojourner Truth, 1988

Pen and ink, thread and found objects on hand-dyed envelope

She also researches the lives of civil rights leaders,

John T. Ward Transporting Fugitives in Columbus, Ohio to Freedom, 1800s, 1982

Wood, hogmawg, and found objects

abolitionists, musicians, and writers

One Day in 1307 AD: King Abubakari II, 1985-92Button Beaded RagGonNon Music Box Pop-Up BoOK: cloth, thread, buttons, beads,

paper, paint, graphite and music boxes

and depicts them in her art.

Life Along Water Street, 2000-2007 

Rag painting: cloth, buttons, thread, pen and ink, pencil, and paint on paper 

Walking up 125th Street, 1989-91 (from New York Stories) 

Paint on cloth

Rocks Dance in the Light, 2004

Gouache, acrylic, and ink on heavy stock

"I began drawing at the age of three. My father would give me wood to paint on and paint in little enamel tins. My studio was

under my bed...I never had any doubt

in my mind about

being an artist." --Amina Robinson