Alma Thomas

Alma Woodsey Thomas (1891-1978) was a Howard University graduate. For 35 years, she served as a middle school art teacher in Washington, D.C. Her first professional show was in 1966 at the age of 75. From this point on, Thomas' distinct abstract style made her become an important role model for women, African Americans, and older artists. She was the first African American woman to have a solo exhibition at New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art, and she exhibited her paintings at the White House three times.