Annie Lee, artist, humanitarian and friend of the Tom Joyner Morning Show, has died and the loss leaves a huge void in the Black creative space. Ms. Lee was an internationally recognized artist whose work depicted varying scenes of the African-American experience.
Lee, born in Gadsden, Ala. in 1935, was raised primarily in Chicago, Ill. She and her brother were taught how to knit, sew, cook and fend for themselves by their brothers. By the time she was in elementary school, Lee’s fascination with art began to yield results. She won a semester-long scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago by way of a contest and continued her art through high school.
Her skills as an artist developed to such a level that Northwestern University offered Lee a four-year scholarship. Lee opted instead for marriage and family, and never attended the school. Tragedy would visit Lee via the loss of her first and second husband, whom with she had a daughter and a son respectively. Focusing instead of caring for her family, Lee didn’t pursue art again until she was 40 years old.
While working at a local railroad station as a clerk, Lee attended night classes at Loyola University and eventually earned a Master’s degree. In 1985, she had her first gallery showing and it was such a success that she sold out in just four hours. While most artists would have dove right into a full-time art career, Lee preferred the security of her job at the railroad.