ARTIST STATEMENT

 

After developing arthritis in her hands, Elmer Lucille Allen, being the perpetual student she is, tackled the problem through evening ceramics classes at Seneca High School. While she started taking the classes as a means to ease arthritic pain, she continued pursuing ceramics out of a desire to create. In 2000, she enrolled at UofL and began working on a master’s degree in art. There, she had two focuses: ceramics and fiber art.

​

During her time at UofL, Elmer Lucille Allen was introduced to the textile art of shibori by another student. Similar to tie-dyeing, this centuries-old Japanese art requires careful planning and patience; it possesses an almost meditative quality she appreciates. Much of her current fabric artwork is shibori-style pieces, all of which begin with creating patterns on graph paper before translating it to kona cotton or silk noil. The design is then stitched into the fabric, dyed, and the stitches carefully removed to reveal geometric patterns, occasionally forming human or animal figures.

 

ABOUT THE ARTIST

​

Allen was born in Louisville, KY. She is a 1953 chemistry graduate from Nazareth College (now Spalding University), and in 1966, she became the first African-American chemist at the Brown-Forman Company in Louisville. Allen was one of three women employed at the company, where she held the title of senior analytical chemist. She retired from the company in 1997 and returned to college to earn an MA in creative arts in ceramics from the University of Louisville in 2002.

​

Working with clay, Elmer Lucille Allen transforms ordinary enclosed forms such as teapots and boxes into unique artistic creations. Former President of Kentucky Coalition for AFRO-American Arts, Inc., Ms. Allen has received numerous awards and has a distinguished exhibit history.

​

Allen’s artwork has been displayed at various galleries in Louisville, Indiana, Kansas, and many other locations. She was the first recipient of Kentucky’s Community Arts Lifetime Local Achievement Award in 2004, and that same year was also recognized as a Woman of Distinction. In 2007, she was one of the “Women of Spunk” honorees. Allen developed Kentucky's First African-American Arts Directory and founded the Afro-American Coalition for Artists. She is also actively involved as a community volunteer with organizations such as the Louisville Western Branch Library Support Group, Inc.