Franklin White was born in Richmond, Virginia. He began working as an artists from an early age, receiving awards for his watercolors while in high school. He studied art at Howard University, where he obtained his BFA (1969) and MFA (1971). During this period, his professors included Lois Jones and David Driskell. His classmates included Sylvia Snowden, Lou Stovall and Leo Robinson. In 1971, he finished a two-year internship at the National Collection of Fine Arts (now known as the American Museum of Art—Smithsonian Museum). As a professional artist he has exhibited his work in numerous solo and group shows in many galleries and museums throughout the United States.

Mr. White is a retired professor of over 30 years at the Corcoran College of Art and Design. He also taught at the Maryland College of Art and Design and Georgetown University. Since his retirement he has been working, experimenting with different artistic mediums and has served as a juror for many art exhibits in the D.C. area. He was selected as a Liquitex Artist in 2005 and has traveled as a representative of the brand. He was the subject of “For the Love of Paint,” an award-winning video that was screened at MOMA and was shown on PBS. His work was also showcased in the documentary “Sport in Art.” This video was nominated for the Hometown USA Prize.

Mr. White first came to Venezuela 1995 as a tourist, returning for several visits the following year. In 2001 he received a Senior Fulbright Scholarship and elected to come to Venezuela and teach at the Armando Reverón. Since then, he has made Mérida his second home, returning every year. Mr. White currently divides his time and workload between Washington, D.C., and Mérida, Venezuela.

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