Mercy & Masterpieces
Mercy & Masterpieces captures the twin pillars in the life of Dr. Ronald McDowell.
His extraordinary artistry surfaced when he was only 11 months old and he suffered for being gifted. His brothers punched him with the intention of teaching him how to fight. Teachers beat his hands to stop him from drawing. Neighborhood children bullied him. Back then his remarkable artistic ability was the cause of tremendous pain. It also became his escape.
He withdrew into a world quite different than his reality. In this new world, he had friends and they were kind to him. These friends existed first in his mind and then on paper. For years, his only friends were images he drew to substitute for the playmates he yearned to have. Over the years, he perfected his artistic skills and became a master of almost every medium – illustrations, fine art paintings, montages and sculpting.
Born and raised in California, he moved to Tuskegee in 1986 and was so warmly embraced, he stayed. But no single place can contain an artist of his magnitude. And through his artworks, he is internationally esteemed.
A few years after he settled in Tuskegee he was named Artist-In-Residence, a role created to give city leaders access to his creative genius for public art projects. It was a wise move on their part.
When he sculpts a statue, the fine details are breathtaking. Visiting The Eddie Kendricks Memorial Park, which features life-sized bronze figures sculpted by Dr. McDowell, is awe inspiring.
The statue he created as a tribute to Civil Rights foot soldiers has attracted approximately 20 million visitors.
In 2006, he received an honorary doctorate from the University at West Alabama.
In 2014, Dr. McDowell created a stunning montage for the Motown Heroes and Legends Awards – Silver Anniversary.
In 2016, he joined the faculty at Tuskegee University after the school added an “A” for Art to the STEM program, making it STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math). This world-class artist who is the best in the business is now enriching offerings at the university.
He bears no grudges and harbors no animosity towards the people who hurt him as a child. This is due to a gift that is equal to his artistic skills — the gift of forgiveness.
