AUSTIN, TX.- Landmarks, the public art program of The University of Texas at Austin, announces Autobiography: Circles, a major new work by Howardena Pindell. For the artist, the large-scale composition is a legacy project, combining the major themes and visual motifs of her pioneering career. Commissioned for the College of Education, Autobiography: Circles will be permanently installed on the glass façade of the George I. Sánchez building—the main entry for the college—where it will be viewed by approximately 15,000 students, faculty, staff, and visitors each day.

Autobiography: Circles represents Pindell’s first exterior public work and first public art commission in Texas. Landmarks will celebrate its unveiling with a free public lecture on April 23, led by Valerie Cassel Oliver, curator of modern and contemporary art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and curatorial contributor to the project.

For more than 50 years, Pindell has challenged injustice and promoted change through a complex practice that includes painting, video, printmaking, mixed media and more. Throughout her career, Pindell’s art has been shown and collected by major institutions such as the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the National Gallery of Art, and the Walker Art Center. Her landmark exhibitions—What Remains to be Seen, co-curated by Cassel Oliver (Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 2018) and Rope/Fire/Water (The Shed, New York, 2020)—received widespread critical acclaim and introduced Pindell’s work to new generations of viewers.

With generous support from donors, the College of Education contributed significant funding for the project and remains a dedicated partner in the implementation of the design. The college is proud to showcase this inspiring work, which reflects its deep commitment to the transformative power of education to open doors.

“Pindell’s creative vision is singular,” remarked Landmarks’ Founding Director and Curator Andrée Bober. “Autobiography: Circles reflects her lifelong commitment to social justice, while her work as an artist, activist, and educator resonates deeply with the mission of the College of Education. Her example is a powerful reminder that beauty can emerge from creative defiance and help inspire meaningful change.”

A Legacy in Glass

Autobiography: Circles draws on Pindell’s rich personal and political narrative, blending recurring themes and borrowing visual elements from works made throughout her career. Colored circles recall the artist’s signature use of hole-punched dots—a practice informed by her appreciation of the shape as found in nature, and her experience seeing dots on dinnerware designated for Black customers in the Jim Crow era. Numbers represent the tags that tracked enslaved Africans as well as the artist’s interest in mathematics. Arrows symbolize flight, social mobility, transformation, and scientific equations and calculations.

The commission reflects Pindell’s unique approach to abstraction, with dots organized in layered, constellation-like patterns that create depth, movement, and an interplay of colors. The art is integrated into the renovated building façade—designed by McKinney York Architects—through a digital print process in which ceramic ink is fused to the glass panels and carefully lit from the interior. Measuring approximately 25 by 50 feet, and spanning multiple stories, the installation evokes the luminous quality of stained-glass.

“Autobiography: Circles is a very personal piece,” said Howardena Pindell. “It brings together memories, stories, and symbols that have shaped my life and work for decades. I hope it encourages people to pause and reflect on these issues, because each of us has a part to play in moving forward.”

The themes explored in Autobiography: Circles align with the University’s ongoing efforts toward reflection and accountability. The installation builds on Landmarks' dedication to commissioning artists whose varied perspectives enrich the campus landscape. It also creates curricular connections across disciplines, fosters new programs for the University and broader community, and invites opportunities for self-examination and personal growth.