Richard Bruce Nugent facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Bruce Nugent
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Nugent in 1982
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| Born | July 2, 1906 Washington, D.C., US
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| Died | May 27, 1987 (aged 80) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Bruce Nugent, Richard Bruce, Ricardo Nugent di Dosceta |
| Occupation | Author, artist, actor, dancer |
| Known for | Paintings, writings |
Richard Bruce Nugent (July 2, 1906 – May 27, 1987), aka Richard Bruce and Bruce Nugent, was a gay writer and painter in the Harlem Renaissance. Despite being a part of a group of many gay Harlem artists, Nugent was among only a few who were publicly out. Recognized initially for the few short stories and published paintings, Nugent had a long productive career bringing to light the creative process of gay and black culture.
Biography
Early life
Richard Bruce Nugent was born in Washington, D.C., on July 2, 1906, to Richard H. Nugent, Jr. and Pauline Minerva Bruce. He completed his schooling at Dunbar High School in 1920, and moved to New York following his father's death. After revealing to his mother that he decided to devote his life to only making art, she worried about his lack of interest in getting a stable job, so she sent him to Washington, D.C., to live with his grandmother. To earn enough money to sustain the family, Nugent would pass as white to earn higher wages. While there, he also experimented with passing, and went by the name Ricardo Nugen di Dosocta, even going as far as giving an address located in the Spanish legation in Washington. In an interview, he claimed he did this for its "convenience" as it allowed him to avoid "bearing the stigma" of being African-American. At that time, he met famous writers including Langston Hughes and Georgia Douglas Johnson. They became friends, influenced each other's works, and collaborated on works together.
Career
In 1925 his first works as a writer were published. These included his poem "Shadow" and his short story "Sahdji". The majority of his life and career took place in Harlem in New York City, and he died of congestive heart failure on May 27, 1987, in Hoboken, New Jersey.
During his career in Harlem, Nugent lived with writer Wallace Thurman from 1926 to 1928, which led to publishing "Smoke, Lilies, and Jade" in Thurman's publication Fire!!.
Before committing his life to his art, Bruce Nugent worked several ordinary jobs, including hat seller, delivery boy, and bellhop.
Many of Nugent's illustrations were featured in publications such as Fire!!, along with his short story. Four of his paintings were included in the Harmon Foundation's exhibition of Negro artists, one of the few venues available for black artists in 1931. His only stand-alone publication, Beyond Where the Stars Stood Still, was issued in a limited edition by Warren Marr II in 1945. He married Marr's sister, Grace, on December 5, 1952.
In the late 1930s Nugent worked with other iconic Harlem Renaissance writers, Claude McKay and Ralph Ellison, on the Federal Writers Project. In this project he was employed to write biographical sketches.
Marriage
His marriage to Grace Marr lasted from 1952 until her death in 1969.
Harlem Cultural Council
Nugent attended the Community Planning Conference at Columbia University in 1964 as an invited speaker. The conference was held under the auspices of the Borough President of Manhattan/Community Planning Board 10 and Columbia University. The idea of forming an organization to promote the arts in Harlem emerged from the conference's Cultural Planning workshop and led to the formation of the Harlem Cultural Council. During the 1960s, Nugent and other coworkers founded the Harlem Cultural Council, which sought municipal and federal funds for the arts and mainly worked on construction for the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Nugent also worked as an artist, performer, and commentator. He actively participated in this effort and attended numerous subsequent meetings. He was elected co-chair (a position equivalent to vice president) of this council. He also served as chair of the Program Committee until March 1967.
Dance
While he was more well known for his writing and illustrations, Nugent also spent many of his years touring as a dancer. He appeared in shows such as Run, Little Chillun (1933) and even toured for two years in a production of Porgy in 1929. In the 1940s, he became a member of the William's Negro Ballet Company. He was also a part of other dance companies, including Hemsley Winfield and Asadata Dafora, even dancing in drag with the New Negro Art Theatre Dance Troupe.
