Michael Moody still remembers his finger paintings hanging on the walls of the old Everson Museum on the North Side. Since those art classes when he was five, he says, he has been creating images. Next he got a Kodak Brownie Fiesta box camera from his mother, which he still has. He has taken thousands of pictures over the years, which really started him on his artistic journey.
While in high school, Mike shot photos for “the Liberated Voice,” a local newspaper focusing on the African-American community. He continued his photography while attending Florida A&M University, working on the newspaper and yearbook. While there he photographed and interviewed such notables as Patti LaBelle, the Temptations and the late James Brown.
After receiving his BFA, he returned to Syracuse and started his first job, teaching with the Syracuse City School District. A call from a college friend lured him to California, where he studied for a Master’s degree in education administration at San Jose State. He rode the highways on the back of a motorcycle, and earned belts in Tae Kwon Do.
Taking in as many art galleries as possible, from Los Angeles to Sacramento, Mike was inspired to take his art more seriously. After seven years he returned to Syracuse.
“My hard work has paid off to a degree,” he said, reflecting on exhibits in over 100 art shows and several write ups in the Stars sections of the Post Standard. In 2004 he won a fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts to do research, studying in galleries in New York City.
From the local Westcott Cultural Festival and Ploughshares Arts and Crafts Festival to the Atlanta Black Arts Festival and the Philadelphia Art Expo, Mike has consistently exhibited what he calls “black art with an urban contemporary flair. He has three murals on city buildings, the most popular on the corner where South Beech Street runs into Westcott Street. His work may be seen online at moodyartservices.com.
