Phillip Jewel Hampton

Phillip Jewel Hampton was born on April 22, 1922, in Kansas City, Missouri. He attended Citrus Junior College in Glendora, California; Kansas State University; Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa; and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He also served in the U.S Army during World War II. He received his bachelor’s degree from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1951 and his master’s in 1952, becoming the first African American person to receive a master’s degree in art in Missouri.

While he was completing his studies, he was a commercial artist with the Kansas City newspaper The Call. After receiving his degree, he began teaching at Savannah State College in Georgia, where he was an associate professor and the director of the art program. In 1969 he began teaching at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville. While at Southern Illinois University, he taught printmaking, painting and design. He also gave lectures, wrote articles and curated exhibitions.

Phillip Hampton died on December 17, 2016.