Lonnie Holley was born on February 10, 1950 in Birmingham, Alabama. From the age of five, Holley worked various jobs: picking up trash at a drive-in movie theater, washing dishes, and cooking. He lived in a whiskey house, on the state fairgrounds, and in several foster homes. His early life was chaotic, and Holley was never afforded the pleasure of a real childhood.

Since 1979, Holley has devoted his life to the practice of improvisational creativity. His art and music — born out of struggle and hardship but, perhaps more importantly, also out of furious curiosity and biological necessity — has manifested itself in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, performance, and sound. His sculptures are constructed from found materials in the oldest tradition of African American sculpture. Objects already imbued with cultural and artistic metaphor are combined into narrative sculptures that commemorate places, people, and events.

His works are in the collections of major museums throughout the country, are on permanent display at the United Nations, and have been displayed in the White House Rose Garden. In January 2014, Holley completed a one-month artist residency with the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation on Captiva Island, Florida, site of the acclaimed artist’s studio.