Arthur Dial

Arthur Dial (May 10, 1930 – February 19, 2021) was an American painter and sculptor who lived and worked in Bessemer, Alabama. He was a part of the Dial family of artists, which includes his older brother, Thornton Dial, and his nephews, Thornton Dial Jr., Richard Dial, and Ronald Lockett.

Life Arthur Dial and his older half-brother Thornton "Buck" Dial were born in Emelle, Alabama in Sumter County, Alabama. They were raised by their grandmother until Arthur was seven years old. After that, they were raised by their aunt, Lillian Bell, in Bessemer, Alabama.

Dial reached the third grade before foregoing school to join the workforce. His first job was at a sawmill, followed by a string of jobs with Water Works, Jefferson County, and the Pullman Standard boxcar factory before settling into a job with U.S. Pipe. Dial remained at U.S. Pipe (known as the "Pipe Shop") for thirty-seven years until he was forced to retire at 62 years old due to work-related pulmonary issues.

Dial died in Bessemer, Alabama on February 19, 2021, at the age of 90.

Career Although Arthur Dial drew when he was a child, he became very invested in making art in adulthood. He sought a way to unwind and decompress after days working in the high stakes environment of the U.S. Pipe foundry and found refuge in gardening, fishing, and making art. He began using discarded materials from the foundry like scrap pipe. steel, and other materials to create people, animals, and religious icons. He describes his narratives as "a record of what went by" Testimony: Vernacular Art of the African American South: The Ronald and June Shelp Collection. 15 Sep., 2000- Jan. 2004, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, MI.

Dial's work currently exists in the following museums' permanent collections:

Metropolitan Museum of Art High Museum of Art Minneapolis Institute of Art Rockford Art Museum Gadsden Arts Center