Mahler Ryder (1937-1992)
Biography from PO Gallery
Mahler Ryder was an artist and educator, a faculty member of the Rhode Island School of Design from 1969 until his death at age 54 in 1992. Although he never earned an academic degree (a fact he seemed proud of), his record of achievement indicates he had "the right stuff": awards from the Ford Foundation, NEA and NEH, a MacDowell Colony Fellowship, numerous exhibitions including a one person show at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and a full professorship at RISD.
As an African-American whose coming of age coincided with the beginning of the civil rights movement, Ryder felt compelled to play a role in the historical re-evaluation of Black accomplishment and was involved in numerous projects to promote and celebrate Black cultural achievement. He researched and promoted the work of 19th century artist Edward Bannister, was a founding member of the Studio Museum in Harlem, devoted a series of collages to RI's Black Revolutionary War regiment, slavery, and milestones in Black history. He lobbied for the establishment of an American Jazz Hall of Fame for which he was nominated for a Harvard Loeb Fellowship, and he spoke at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on the relationship between jazz and the visual arts.
Ryder loved music, especially jazz. He was introduced to jazz at an early age. His father was a musician and, as a boy, Ryder would go to clubs in his hometown, Columbus, Ohio, to hear his father play. He later taught himself how to play piano and had seriously considered becoming a professional musician before committing to a career in teaching.
In 1984 he began working on his music assemblages. During the last years of his life, Ryder's work was almost exclusively concerned with what he termed a "visual response to music." He would listen to a piece of music and attempt, in his constructions, to capture the tone and feeling of the composition.
This was a prolific period. He produced three series: "Jazz Piano", "Homage to the Guitar", and "Jazz Composers". Through these series, Ryder paid tribute to more than 50 musicians and composers - Toshiko Akiyoshi, Bill Evans, Stan Kenton, Gary Burton, Duke Ellington, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis...most of the pieces bear the name of the artist whose music was his inspiration.
