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Andre Ramos-Woodard, Lamar alumnus and visiting instructor in the Department of Art and Design, has recently had three pieces of his artwork acquired by The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, along with a commissioned work currently on exhibition through Feb. 2023.

“The installation I just completed is in the photography gallery of the Kinder Building, which is one of the most recent editions to the museum's gallery spaces. They've recently opened a new exhibition of works called ‘Interventions,’ a show revolving around photography and the many ways artists manipulate photographs —and I was given the opportunity to create a mural as a part of the show,” said Ramos-Woodard. “My part in the show is a 16.5 foot by 14-foot mural entitled ‘Air Gerald (BOOMSHAKALAKA),’ and is part of a series of works where I draw characters on photographs I’ve taken entitled ‘BLACK SNAFU.’ The mural will be up until February 2023.”

"BLACK SNAFU" also is the series that the three pieces acquired by the MFAH come from. Included in the works acquired from Ramos-Woodard are “Bling,” “buds” and “melodrama,” all mixed media photography that are now a part of the museum’s permanent collection and have been added to the museum’s digital archive. 

Raised in Tennessee and Beaumont, Texas, Ramos-Woodard is a contemporary artist who uses his work to emphasize the experiences of the underrepresented by celebrating the experience of marginalized peoples while accenting the repercussions of contemporary and historical discrimination. Working in a variety of media—including photography, text, and illustration, Ramos-Woodard creates collages that convey ideas of communal and personal identity centralized within internal conflicts. He is influenced by the direct experience with life as being queer and African American. Focusing on Black liberation, queer justice and the reality of mental health, Ramos-Woodard works to amplify repressed voices and bring power to the people.

“I am inspired to make people feel felt and heard through my art. I now hope to inspire a new generation through my teaching,” said Ramos-Woodard.

For more information about Ramos-Woodard, please visit lamar.edu/art.