Artist Spotlight: Howardena Pindell
Kenneth C. Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Big IdeasHowardena Pindell uses abstract art to express layered complexity, memory, and invisible systems—similar to what’s happening inside cells.
Artist Spotlight: Howardena Pindell
- African American abstract artist
- Known for using tiny punched paper circles, layering, and textured surfaces
- Work often explores identity, memory, and systems you can’t fully see at once
- Connection to cells: Her art looks like microscopic worlds—like looking at a eukaryotic cell or tissue under a microscope!
https://online.victoria-miro.com/art-basel-miami-beach-2021/blog/works/howardena-pindell-untitled-1a-2011/
https://www.whitecube.com/artists/howardena-pindell
Activity: "Make a Pindell-Style Cell"
Materials:
- Hole punch
- Colored paper or tissue paper
- Glue sticks
- Mixed media base (cardstock, canvas board, etc.)
- Optional: Add sand, string, foil, recycled material for texture
Instructions:
- Punch or cut out many tiny paper circles in different colors.
- Choose a central shape to represent the nucleus.
- Surround it with layers of texture and shapes representing other organelles:
- Long lines for ER
- Spirals or foil for mitochondria
- Dots for ribosomes
- Glue them in a circular or organic pattern like a cell.
- Add textures or layers to create a sense of depth and organization.
- Label if desired (for older learners), or leave abstract and interpret together.
- How does your artwork show complexity like a eukaryotic cell?
- Which parts of your art are working together—like parts of a cell?
- What feelings do you think Howardena Pindell's art evokes? How does that connect to the hidden world inside a cell?
https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3287726/american-artist-howardena-pindell-how-racism-shaped-her-work-now-show-hong-kong