Ed Dwight

Edward Joseph (Ed) Dwight, Jr. (born September 9, 1933) is an African-American sculptor and former test pilot who was the first African American to be trained as an astronaut.

Dwight was born in the Kansas City, Kansas area on September 9, 1933 to Edward Dwight, Sr. and Georgia Baker Dwight. His father played second baseman for the Kansas City Monarchs.

As a child, he was an avid reader and talented artist who was mechanically gifted and enjoyed working with his hands.

Dwight joined the United States Air Force in 1953. In 1957, while serving as an Air Force test pilot, he earned a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Arizona State University. He received the rank of captain while serving in the Air Force.

Astronaut training

In 1961, the Kennedy administration selected Dwight as the first African American astronaut trainee, at the suggestion of the National Urban League's Whitney Young. His selection garnered international media attention, and Dwight appeared on the covers of newsmagazines such as Ebony, Jet, and Sepia.

Despite facing discrimination from other astronauts, Dwight persevered until the assassination of President Kennedy, after which government officials created a threatening atmosphere and he was assigned to be a liaison officer in Germany to a non-existent German test pilot school. As a result of this climate, he resigned from the Air Force in 1966.

After resigning from the Air Force, Dwight worked as an engineer, in real estate, and for IBM. He learned how to operate the University of Denver's metal casting foundry in the mid 1970s, and received a Master of Fine Arts from the University in 1977.

Each of Dwight's pieces involves blacks and civil rights activists. Most of the pieces depict only black people, but the Underground Railroad Sculpture in Battle Creek also honors Erastus and Sarah Hussey, who were conductors on the Underground Railroad. Dwight's first major works was a commission in 1974 to create a sculpture of Colorado Lieutenant Governor George L. Brown. Soon after, he was commissioned by the Colorado Centennial Commission to create a series of bronze sculptures entreated "Black Frontier in the American West."

Soon after his completion of his "Black Frontier in the American West" exhibit, Dwight created a series of over 70 bronze sculptures at the St. Louis Arch Museum at the request of the National Park Service. The series, "Jazz: An American Art Form", depicts the evolution of jazz and features jazz performers such as Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, and Charlie Parker.

Dwight owns and operates Ed Dwight Studios, based in Denver, Colorado.

He is recognized for innovative use of negative space in sculpting.

Notable sculptures

Dwight has created over 100 public art sculptures, including:

Name	Picture	Location	Unveiled	Notes
African American History Monument		South Carolina State House grounds – Columbia, South Carolina	000000002001-03-29-0000March 29, 2001
Alex Haley / Kunta Kinte Memorial		The City Dock – Annapolis, Maryland	000000001999-12-01-0000December 1999
Black Revolutionary War Patriots Memorial		Constitution Gardens – Washington, D.C.	000000001991-01-01-00001991
Captain Walter Dyett Statue		Chicago, Illinois
Concerto		Folly Theater – Kansas City, Missouri
Dr. Benjamin Mays		Morehouse College Commons – Atlanta, Georgia
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.		Anne Arundel Community College – Annapolis, Maryland	000000002006-01-01-00002006
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.		Houston, Texas	000000002007-01-01-00002007
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial		City Park – Denver, Colorado	000000002002-01-01-00002002
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. & Coretta Scott King		Allentown, Pennsylvania	000000002011-01-01-00002011
Gateway to Freedom International Memorial to the Underground Railroad		Philip A. Hart Plaza – Detroit, Michigan	000000002001-01-01-00002001
George Washington Williams bust		Ohio Statehouse – Columbus, Ohio
Hank Aaron		Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium – Atlanta, Georgia	000000001982-01-01-00001982
Inauguration of History and Hope – Inaugural Sculpture Scene of President Barack Obama		Touring exhibit	000000002010-01-01-00002010
Jack Trice Memorial		Iowa State University – Ames, Iowa
Jazz: An American Art Form		St. Louis Arch Museum – St. Louis, Missouri
John Hope Franklin Tower of Reconciliation		Tulsa, Oklahoma
Mayor Harold Washington		Harold Washington Cultural Center – Chicago, Illinois	000000002004-01-01-00002004
Memorial to Rosa Parks, Mother of the Civil Rights Movement		Grand Rapids, Michigan	000000002010-01-01-00002010
Mother of Africa Chapel		Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception – Washington, D.C.	000000001997-01-01-00001997
Mr. Frederick Douglass		Frederick Douglass National Historic Site – Washington, D.C.	000000001980-01-01-00001980	Dwight's first commission
Quincy Jones Sculpture Park		Chicago, Illinois
Soldiers Memorial		Lincoln University – Jefferson City, Missouri	000000002007-01-01-00002007
Tower of Freedom International Memorial to the Underground Railroad		Civic Esplanade – Windsor, Ontario	000000002001-01-01-00002001
Underground Railroad Memorial		Kellogg Foundation headquarters – Battle Creek, Michigan	000000001994-01-01-00001994
United House of Prayer for All People		Lincoln Cemetery – Suitland, Maryland	000000002008-01-01-00002008
William E. Smith, Director of Airports		Denver, Colorado