Thaddeus Mosley
Sculptor Thaddeus Gilmore Mosley was born on July 23, 1926 in New Castle, Pennsylvania. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the U.S. Navy. Mosley graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a double major in English and journalism in 1950.
Mosley began working for the U.S. Postal Service. During the 1950s, while at the Postal Service, Mosley began writing freelance for The Pittsburgh Courier and for several other national publications. At this time, he also began making sculptures. In 1968, he had his first solo exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Art. He credits sculptors Constantin Bruncusi and Isamu Noguchi as his earliest influences. His commissions include, Three Rivers bench in 2003 for the David L. Lawrence Convention Center; Legends at the Susquehanna Museum; and an exhibition at the Cue Art Foundation Gallery. His most famous sculptures are the 14’ cedar Phoenix located at the corner of Centre Avenue and Dinwiddie in Pittsburgh’s Hill District and the “Mountaintop” Limestone at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in the Hill District at Herron and Milwaukee Streets.
Mosley wrote Thaddeus Mosley: African-American Sculptor with a narrative by David Lewis that was published by the Carnegie Museum of Art in 1997.
Mosley was named the Artist of the Year and was awarded the Governor’s Award, the Cultural Award, and the Service in the Arts Award by the Pittsburgh Center of the Arts. Mosley has been an officer for the Pittsburgh Society of Sculptors and a board member of the August Wilson Center for African American Culture.
Mosley was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on August 11, 2008.
A2008.102
Male
8/11/2008
Mosley
University of Pittsburgh
West Side Elementary School
New Castle Junior/Senior High School
George Washington Intermediate School
Thaddeus
New Castle
MOS05
Fall
Pennsylvania
New York, New York
There's No Vice Like Advice.

Pennsylvania
7/23/1926
Pittsburgh
United States
Seafood
Sculptor Thaddeus Mosley (1926 - ) created pieces that were commissioned by Pittsburgh cultural institutions like the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the Susquehanna Museum and the Cue Art Foundation Gallery.
United States Postal Service
U.S. Navy
Pittsburgh Courier
Blue, Green
Tape: 1 Story: 1 - Slating of Thaddeus Mosley's interview
Tape: 1 Story: 2 - Thaddeus Mosley lists his favorites
Tape: 1 Story: 3 - Thaddeus Mosley describes his mother's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 4 - Thaddeus Mosley talks about his mother's upbringing and employment
Tape: 1 Story: 5 - Thaddeus Mosley remembers his maternal great-grandfather
Tape: 1 Story: 6 - Thaddeus Mosley describes his father's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 7 - Thaddeus Mosley remembers his paternal aunt
Tape: 1 Story: 8 - Thaddeus Mosley talks about his father's literary interests
Tape: 1 Story: 9 - Thaddeus Mosley recalls how his parents met
Tape: 1 Story: 10 - Thaddeus Mosley describes his parents' personalities and activities
Tape: 2 Story: 1 - Thaddeus Mosley describes the No. 5 Mine community in Elbon, Pennsylvania
Tape: 2 Story: 2 - Thaddeus Mosley recalls his family's move from Elbon, Pennsylvania to New Castle, Pennsylvania
Tape: 2 Story: 3 - Thaddeus Mosley describes his earliest childhood memories
Tape: 2 Story: 4 - Thaddeus Mosley describes the sights and smells of his childhood
Tape: 2 Story: 5 - Thaddeus Mosley recalls his early educational experiences
Tape: 2 Story: 6 - Thaddeus Mosley remembers segregation in New Castle, Pennsylvania
Tape: 2 Story: 7 - Thaddeus Mosley describes his early interest in drawing
Tape: 2 Story: 8 - Thaddeus Mosley recalls his early musical interests
Tape: 2 Story: 9 - Thaddeus Mosley talks about his high school activities
Tape: 2 Story: 10 - Thaddeus Mosley remembers the servicemen at Naval Station Great Lakes in Lake County, Illinois
Tape: 2 Story: 11 - Thaddeus Motley recalls the African American athletes he met in the U.S. Navy, pt. 1
Tape: 3 Story: 1 - Thaddeus Mosley recalls the African American athletes he met in the U.S. Navy, pt. 2
Tape: 3 Story: 2 - Thaddeus Mosley talks about segregation in the U.S. Armed Forces
Tape: 3 Story: 3 - Thaddeus Mosley remembers his neighbor who wrote Western fiction
Tape: 3 Story: 4 - Thaddeus Mosley recalls his experiences in the U.S. Navy
Tape: 3 Story: 5 - Thaddeus Mosley remembers coaching basketball in the U.S. Navy
Tape: 3 Story: 6 - Thaddeus Mosley talks about the Japanese holdouts after World War II
Tape: 3 Story: 7 - Thaddeus Mosley recalls his experiences of segregation in restaurants
Tape: 3 Story: 8 - Thaddeus Mosley remembers enrolling at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
Tape: 4 Story: 1 - Thaddeus Mosley talks about the economy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pt. 1
Tape: 4 Story: 2 - Thaddeus Mosley talks about the economy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pt. 2
Tape: 4 Story: 3 - Thaddeus Mosley remembers the Pittsburgh Courier
Tape: 4 Story: 4 - Thaddeus Mosley recalls his interest in magazine journalism
Tape: 4 Story: 5 - Thaddeus Mosley talks about his various occupations
Tape: 4 Story: 6 - Thaddeus Mosley describes his early career at the U.S. Post Office Department
Tape: 4 Story: 7 - Thaddeus Mosley talks about the Nunn family
Tape: 4 Story: 8 - Thaddeus Mosley remembers photographer Charles "Teenie" Harris
Tape: 4 Story: 9 - Thaddeus Mosley describes the development of his artistic interests
Tape: 5 Story: 1 - Thaddeus Mosley talks about his early sculptures
Tape: 5 Story: 2 - Thaddeus Mosley recalls the theft of his sculpture of Dizzy Gillespie
Tape: 5 Story: 3 - Thaddeus Mosley talks about the concepts of weight and space in sculpture
Tape: 5 Story: 4 - Thaddeus Mosley describes his work schedule
Tape: 5 Story: 5 - Thaddeus Mosley recalls his early art exhibitions
Tape: 5 Story: 6 - Thaddeus Mosley describes his interest in African tribal art
Tape: 5 Story: 7 - Thaddeus Mosley talks about the Black Arts Movement
Tape: 5 Story: 8 - Thaddeus Mosley describes his sculpting materials and process
Tape: 5 Story: 9 - Thaddeus Mosley talks about the dearth of wood carving instruction
Tape: 5 Story: 10 - Thaddeus Mosley compares wood carving to jazz composition
Tape: 6 Story: 1 - Thaddeus Mosley talks about playwright August Wilson
Tape: 6 Story: 2 - Thaddeus Mosley describes the diversity of his sculptures
Tape: 6 Story: 3 - Thaddeus Mosley reflects upon his career as a sculptor
Tape: 6 Story: 4 - Thaddeus Mosley talks about the importance of education
Tape: 6 Story: 5 - Thaddeus Mosley recalls his exhibition opportunities
Tape: 6 Story: 6 - Thaddeus Mosley describes the origin of the Pittsburgh Crawfords
Tape: 6 Story: 7 - Thaddeus Mosley remembers the Negro League baseball players of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Tape: 6 Story: 8 - Thaddeus Mosley reflects upon his life
Tape: 6 Story: 9 - Thaddeus Mosley describes his hopes and concerns for the African American community
Tape: 7 Story: 1 - Thaddeus Mosley reflects upon his legacy
Tape: 7 Story: 2 - Thaddeus Mosley describes how he would like to be remembered
Tape: 7 Story: 3 - Thaddeus Mosley narrates his photographs
1$1
4$5
9$3