Kara Walker

Kara Elizabeth Walker (born November 26, 1969) is an African American contemporary artist and painter who explores race, gender, sexuality, violence and identity in her work. She is best known for her room-size tableaux of black cut-paper silhouettes. Walker lives in New York and is on the faculty of the MFA program at Rutgers University.

Background

Walker was born in Stockton, California in 1969. Her father, Larry Walker, is a formally educated artist as well as a retired professor and administrator. Her mother worked as an administrative assistant.

“One of my earliest memories involves sitting on my dad’s lap in his studio in the garage of our house and watching him draw. I remember thinking: ‘I want to do that, too,’ and I pretty much decided then and there at age 2½ or 3 that I was an artist just like Dad.” —Kara Walker