Willie Birch

Willie Birch (b. 1942, New Orleans, LA), shaped by his hometown of New Orleans, completed graduate school at Maryland Institute College of Art in 1973 before moving to New York City where he would become a fixture in the city’s art scene.  Birch received many accolades while in New York City including a Guggenheim Fellowship, NEA Fellowship, Studio Museum in Harlem residency, and a mural for the Public Art Fund.  Birch is known for his paper mâché sculptures, charcoal drawings, and paintings with works included in numerous public collections including: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY; Whitney Museum of American Art, NY; New Orleans Museum of Art, LA; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, AR; and Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, PA among many others.

Birch moved back to New Orleans in the 1990’s to specifically pursue the “soul of drawing.”  Birch has commented on the worldwide known cultural contributions of music, dance, and food associated New Orleans and wanted to bring that same level of recognition to fine art to his beloved city.  Birch transitioned from a largely figurative subject matter to landscapes, plants, and urban flora of New Orleans after a major exhibition of his work New Orleans Museum of Art during U.S. Biennial Prospect.1 in 2008.  Birch was introduced to printmaking by famed master printer Robert Blackburn at his Printmaking Workshop in the 1970’s.