Rozzell Sykes (December 25, 1931 – December 18, 1994) was an American artist, based in Los Angeles, California. He is best known as the founder of St. Elmo Village, an urban renewal project.
Early life Rozzell Sykes was born in Aberdeen, Mississippi, the son of Anna Bell Clay and Cleveland Sykes, although he gave various accounts of his origins over the years, frequently mentioning a childhood in the West Indies.Joe Bingham, "Famed Artist Risks Friendship for Kids," Los Angeles Sentinel (October 26, 1967): D1. He lived in St. Louis, Missouri and San Diego, California before moving to Los Angeles in 1961.Emanuel Parker, "Artist Rozzell Sykes Services Held," Los Angeles Sentinel (January 5, 1995): A4.
Career In the mid-1960s, Rozzell Sykes was a working painter, noted for a series featured in Life magazine."Rozzell Sykes Exhibit at DeVoe's Studios," Los Angeles Sentinel (October 14, 1965): C4."Sykes Works on Exhibition," Los Angeles Sentinel (April 27, 1967): C9. In 1969, he and his nephew Roderick Sykes acquired a small group of bungalows in mid-city Los Angeles, in the 4800 block of St. Elmo Drive where they lived, to save the dwellings and develop the neighborhood as a creative experiment.Claudia Luther, "St. Elmo's Village: It's a Spectrum of Artistic Expression," Los Angeles Times (January 11, 1974): C1.Jack Smith, "A Sykes for Sore Eyes," Los Angeles Times (June 1, 1975): f1. St. Elmo Village was incorporated in 1971, and showcased the Sykes' vision of a colorful, multi-ethnic cultural space. Rozzell Sykes executed several large murals for the community, and secured funding through the assistance of Tom Bradley, then a city councilman. "I don't think he allowed anything to go unpainted," said Bradley in 1995. "He was a man of uncommon vision. He often said it didn't matter whether you lived in a shoe box or a mansion, you can be all you want to be."Leslie Berenstein, "Hundreds of Mourners Praise Creator of St. Elmo Village: At Service in His Honor, The Artist is Remembered for his Philosophy of 'Making the Best of What You've Got,'" Los Angeles Times (January 8, 1995). The neighborhood became the site of the annual St. Elmo Festival, organized by Rozzell Sykes to bring attention to the project and celebrate the arts.Nick Brown, "St. Elmo Festival Set," Los Angeles Sentinel (May 22, 1980): A4.Lisa Ndbumoto, "St. Elmo Village Holds 'Art of Survival' Festival," Los Angeles Sentinel (May 24, 1990): A3.
Roderick and Rozzell Sykes received a Human Rights Award from the Baha'is of Los Angeles County in 1971, in observance of United Nations Human Rights Day, for their work in St. Elmo Village."LA Baha'is to Present Awards," Los Angeles Sentinel (December 9, 1971): C8."Baha'is Will Present Human Rights Awards," Arcadia Tribune (December 12, 1971): 2. via Newspapers.com
Personal life and legacy He was married to Erma Sykes, a nurse, and the couple raised five children together,Burt A. Folkart, "Rozzell Sykes: Artist Founded St. Elmo's," Los Angeles Times (December 25, 1994). among them music producer Benny Medina.Laura B. Randolph, "The Real-Life Fresh Prince of Bel Air," Ebony (April 1991): 30-34.
He died in late 1994, age 63. His funeral was held at First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles.Leslie Berenstein, "Hundreds of Mourners Praise Creator of St. Elmo Village: At Service in His Honor, The Artist is Remembered for his Philosophy of 'Making the Best of What You've Got,'" Los Angeles Times (January 8, 1995).Emanuel Parker, "Artist Rozzell Sykes Services Held," Los Angeles Sentinel (January 5, 1995): A4. St. Elmo Village remains active as an arts space, under director Roderick Sykes.St. Elmo's Village website."St. Elmo Village A Credit to Human Spirit," Los Angeles Sentinel (December 15, 2005): B4.
References