Kenneth Addison -- artist who educated, encouraged children
by Carolyn Jones, Chronicle Staff Writer

Saturday, December 24, 2005

A Bay Area memorial service is pending for Kenneth Addison, a prominent artist who fused art, academics and gang prevention curricula to teach thousands of local schoolchildren.

Mr. Addison died unexpectedly Nov. 8 in Baltimore from complications after a kidney transplant. He was 56.

Until three years ago, Mr. Addison had lived the Bay Area since the early 1970s. He attended San Francisco City College and California College of the Arts and Crafts. He also took classes in early childhood education and began a career as an educator.

He worked for numerous educational organizations, including Head Start and the Museum of Children's Art in Oakland. He also wrote an art-focused anti-gang curriculum that was used by San Francisco and Oakland public schools.

"He'd do art projects with the kids, and eventually they would open up and start talking about their lives," said Winona Addison, his wife of 15 years. "They'd talk about decision-making, choosing friends, things that happened in everyday life."

Mr. Addison worked with children of all ages and backgrounds, but he preferred working with middle-school students and disadvantaged youths.

"I remember when I was in that situation, when things weren't the best for me," he told a Chronicle reporter in 2000. "I want them to understand they can use art as a means to propel themselves into a positive situation. Art is one of the ways we can connect."

Mr. Addison was often flocked to by children "of all walks of life as he walked down the street," said his longtime friend, James Hadley of Oakland.

"He was very outgoing, very active in the community," Hadley said. "Whatever he dug into, he did it to the max."

As an artist, Mr. Addison imbued his work with positive images of African Americans.

"All of my work speaks to interrelationships and the more noble qualities of African American life and community," he said in a biographical article for Picture That gallery in Stamford, Conn. "I never use my work to tear down. I always use it to build up and edify."

"My images are more than pictures; they represent people's lives and fond remembrances," he said.

Mr. Addison was born in White Plains, N.Y. When he was in sixth grade, he was selected to attend a Westchester County art workshop -- the only child and only African American in the group. He said that experience gave him the confidence to pursue art as a career, even though there were few African American artists to turn to as role models.

He and his family moved to the Baltimore area three years ago. At the time of his death, he had just completed illustrations for a children's book called "We," to be published by Lee & Low Books in 2006.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Addison is survived by three children, three grandchildren and a sister. The family is planning a memorial service in February or March.