Biography
Born Mark Teemer, Akinsanya Kambon is an American artist and art professor whose work covers many art forms, including drawings, paintings, bronze sculptures, and ceramics. He is also known for serving as Lieutenant of Culture for the Sacramento Chapter of the Black Panther Party, and especially for creating The Black Panther Coloring Book designed to draw attention to racial inequality and social injustice. He is particularly known today for the challenging techniques he uses for his work in ceramic sculpture.[1]
Born in Sacramento, California, Kambon suffered from polio as a child and turned to drawing for comfort and a form of therapy.[2] His frequent visits to the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento opened his eyes to the human potential to create art, and he was fascinated by what he saw. From 1966 to 1968, Kambon served a tour of duty in Vietnam with the United States Marine Corps as a combat illustrator and infantryman. It was upon his return home that he joined the Black Panther Party, becoming a Lieutenant of Culture and working on the layout and illustrations for The Black Panther, the Party newspaper. While only semi-literate in his youth, Kambon went on to earn his Master of Arts from California State University, Fresno.[3] Kambon's extensive travels throughout Africa to research African art have had a profound influence on his work. His kiln firings are performed in a ceremonial manner, using a Western-style raku technique that is often a challenging, dangerous, and unpredictable process. His subjects (representing African deities, spirits, and American history) often celebrate cultural pride and perseverance through hardship.[4]
Kambon “has long been an advocate for art and education. He worked as a professor at the California State University, Long Beach, for twenty-six years. In 1993, he was a recipient of the Community Fellowship Award from the California Wellness Foundation, which supported his efforts in community leadership and violence prevention. The artist and his wife, S. Tana-sha Ross Kambon, co-founded Pan African Art, Inc. in 1995, a nonprofit organization serving youth that promotes academic achievement, an understanding of history, leadership skills, and self-expression through art. In 2003, they founded the Gallery Kambon and, in 2019, they established the Pan African Art Museum in Long Beach.”[5] Kambon currently divides his time between studios in Long Beach and Sacramento, where he actively continues his work.
Footnotes:
[1] The Ferrin Contemporary website. “Akinsanya Kambon, Bio.” Accessed on March 1, 2022. https://ferrincontemporary.com/portfolio/akinsanya-kambon#about
[2] Hajela, Christie. “American Expressions/African Roots: Akinsanya Kambon’s Ceramic Sculpture.” Crocker Art Museum, January 7, 2020. Accessed March 1, 2022. https://www.crockerart.org/oculus/american-expressionsafrican-roots-akinsanya-kambons-ceramic-sculpture
[3] The Ferrin Contemporary website. “Akinsanya Kambon, Bio.”
[4] C& (Contemporary and) website. “Exhibition: American Expressions/African Roots: Akinsanya Kambon’s Ceramic Sculpture, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA, United States February 2-July 5, 2020.” Accessed March 5, 2022. https://contemporaryand.com/exhibition/american-expressions-african-roots-akinsanya-kambons-ceramic-sculpture/
[5] Hajela, Christie. “American Expressions/African Roots: Akinsanya Kambon’s Ceramic Sculpture.” Crocker Art Museum, January 7, 2020. Accessed March 1, 2022. https://www.crockerart.org/oculus/american-expressionsafrican-roots-akinsanya-kambons-ceramic-sculpture
This artist’s biography was written by Phyllis Geraghty, a writer with professional experience in the public relations, education, health, and non-profit sectors.
Illustrations by Akinsanya Kambon
Additional Resources
Bibliography
Bloom, Joshua and Waldo E. Martin. Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2012.
Fujino, Diane C. and Matef Harmachis. Black Power Afterlives: The Enduring Significance of the Black Panther Party. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2020.
Jones, Charles E. The Black Panther Party (Reconsidered). Baltimore, MD: Black Classic Press, 1998.
