William Y. Cooper

William Y. Cooper (February 21, 1934 – February 26, 2016) was an American painter, writer, illustrator, muralist, printmaker, and art teacher who spent most of his life in Buffalo, New York. His artwork combines an influence of his African heritage and his personal experience in America. Using symbolism, metaphors, color, and line, Cooper illustrates literal concepts in his works. Jazz music and famous African-American people are prominent themes in his art. He produced a young adult novel and a children's play later in his life, but is known for his numerous decorated murals exhibited within the United States and Ghana. Cooper was recognized in 2013 as a "Living Legacy Artist" by the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

Biography Early life William Y. Cooper was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on February 21, 1934. He moved to Buffalo, New York, in 1954, where he remained for the rest of his life. Beginning at age four, Cooper showed a strong talent in arts. His grandmother urged him to stop pursuing the arts and focus on his math, science, and literature. Cooper continued to follow his artistic talent throughout his formal education.

Education Before moving to Buffalo when he was 20, he studied art at Alabama State University for two years. His education was interrupted when he was drafted into the U.S. Army when World War II broke out. Despite being drafted, he was able to continue his artistic endeavors while serving for 18 months because he was the author and illustrator of the training brochures to be handed out to the U.S. Army Command stationed in Europe.

Career Professional career Prior to 1995, Cooper owned an African art importing business called Bora Sanaa for fifteen years. He oftentimes traveled to West Africa during the summertime to gather antiques and artifacts from East and West Africa for his store. He was forced to close his business due to health complications in 1995. The Buffalo Arts Studio then provided Cooper with a studio from 1995 until his death in 2016. There he produced many works and mentored hundreds of aspiring artists during his lifetime. The former art director of the studio stated "he always had a long line of steady visitors to his studio."

Art locations African and American history and culture were the main influences of Cooper's art. His works have been widely presented within the art community of the United States and around the world since 1969. Locations such as Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Birmingham, Atlanta, Albany, Washington, D.C., Ontario, and Ghana are examples of places where his art was and is exhibited. He is also credited with founding and running the Afrocentric Artists' Collective for three years until 1981. titled "I Have a Dream" (named after King's famous 1963 speech) completed in 1982; a Centennial Mural done in 1991 for the Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers; a mural on the walls of the Colored Musicians Club Museum in the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor; and a mural placed in the Tri-Main/ArtSpace. She is the youngest of eight siblings. The couple remained in Buffalo and raised their family among the community. Cooper and his wife had four sons named Michael Stubbs, Yancy Cooper, Joel Cooper, Juan King, and one daughter named Sharelle Bennigan. He has five grandchildren; Melanie, Erik, J.C. (deceased) Jaxon, and Christina; and one great-grandchild named Taylor. Cooper died in his home in Buffalo on February 26, 2016, at the age of 82.

List of artworks I Have a Dream, 1982 Naming Ceremony, Ghana, 1994 Black Woman as Warrior, 2001 Lilith, 2010 The Raven, 2012 Tattoos, 2012 Study in Yellow, 2016