Born 1890, Ash Grove, Mo.; died 1972, Chicago
Joseph Elmer Yoakum was born in Ash Grove, Mo., in 1890. His father was reportedly of Cherokee descent, and his mother was born into slavery; his heritage remained important to him throughout his life. Leaving home at 9 or 10 years old, he traveled the country with several circus troupes for most of his adolescence. He returned home in 1908 and found work as a fireman in a foundry. Not long after becoming a father and husband in 1910, he moved his family to Kansas, where he worked for the coal mining industry. From there, he was drafted into WWI in 1918 and served overseas in an all-Black noncombat regiment in France.
By the 1940s, Yoakum was living on Chicago’s South Side with his second wife. In the 1960s, he moved to a storefront on East 82nd Street. There, “motivated by a dream,” he established his artistic practice. Displaying his paintings and drawings, which he refers to as “spiritual unfoldments,” in the windows of his store, he attracted his first customers. Quickly, he became a recognized figure in the Chicago art scene. His work was rooted in memories of his travels, showing sprawling landscapes and fantasticalinterpretations. Each of his works were signed, dated and labeled with a location or title. Meticulous about ownership, he would make iterations of his pieces, usually keeping the original to himself for reference. His first show was in 1967 in a small gallery located in the cafe of St. Bartholomew’s Church.
In the later years of his life, Yoakum was widely exhibited, not only in Chicago, but at major institutions across the U.S. In 1972, a solo exhibition was held at the Whitney Museum in New York. He passed away on Christmas Day of that year.
—Emily Q. Slavin, Intuit Art Museum curatorial fellow
