We mourn the passing of long-time shipyard artist JoeSam. He died peacefully on June 1, 2024, surrounded by his family. He was 85 years old.
JoeSam. (period intentional) was instrumental in starting the STAR Artist-in-Residence program in 1996, providing a free studio to talented young community artist Malik Seneferu. Malik has since become a very successful artist with a permanent studio at the shipyard, thanks in part to JoeSam.’s support.
When JoeSam. first rented his studio in 1986, he was one of only two Black artists at the shipyard. Besides pursuing his own art, he tirelessly worked to increase access for Black artists to the shipyard studios. He also publicly criticized local museums for not including the work of artists of color, particularly Black artists.
After a career running San Francisco’s Head Start program and participating on other City boards and commissions, JoeSam. decided to devote the rest of his life to his art. His first major body of work, the acclaimed Black West series, won him an NEA grant in 1986. These works celebrated Black cowboys and other significant Black figures in the West, such as Mary Ellen Pleasant. This early success encouraged JoeSam. to rent his own studio at the shipyard after starting out working from his home.
Throughout his life, JoeSam.’s work showcased and celebrated the often forgotten and under-documented accomplishments of Black Americans. His major series include the Black Bible, Jazz, and Black Indian series.
In the early 1990s, JoeSam. became involved in public art, and his trademark cutout multicultural figures were installed in over 40 projects across the country, including the MLK pool in San Francisco’s Bayview district, the civic center in Mountain View, and the 77th St Police Station and Rosa Parks Metro Rail Station in South Central L.A.
Based on his public sculptures, he also created a series of pins, miniatures of his public sculptures. The wildly popular JoeSam. art pins were sold in museum stores nationwide.
With JoeSam.’s passing, the Shipyard Trust for the Arts has lost a tremendous force for inclusion and diversity at the Shipyard. The ongoing Artist-in-Residence program will continue to honor our previous leaders, including founder Jacques Terzian, who agreed to donate one free studio for community artists in perpetuity.
