Michael Richards

Michael Rolando Richards (August 2, 1963 – September 11, 2001) was an African-American artist and sculptor of Jamaican and Costa Rican ancestry who was killed during the September 11 attacks while in his art studio on the 92nd Floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower. He explored his African-American history and identity through sculpture, conceptual art, and installation pieces. Influenced by the Black Arts Movement of the 1970s, Richards delved into African-American history and folklore for images that would expose the contradictions of American society. Richards worked primarily in bronze. Early life Richards was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. He graduated with honors from Excelsior High School and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Queens College and a Master of Arts from New York University. From 1992-93, he participated in the Independent Study Program at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Career Richards was an African-American sculptor of Jamaican and Costa Rican ancestry. He explored his African-American history and identity through sculpture, conceptual art, and installation pieces. Influenced by the Black Arts Movement of the 1970s, Richards delved into African-American history and folklore for images that would expose the contradictions of American society. Richards worked primarily in bronze. He was an artist-in-residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem in 1996 and showed his work there in "Passages" in 1999. Richards received several fellowships during his lifetime. In 2000, he received the Franconia Sculpture Park / Jerome Fellowship. It was during this time that he created the "Are You Down" piece that is now displayed in the park. He was also a recipient of a studio residency from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. This fellowship provided him with his "Studio in the Sky" in the World Trade Center.