John Lyons

A painter and prize-winning poet, John Lyons (b.1933,Trinidad) moved to London to study at Goldsmiths’ College School of Art and Design (1959-64) and at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne (1964-65). Trinidadian myths, folklore and Carnival are recurring themes in Lyons’ work as seen in ‘Caribbean Connections’ at Islington Arts Factory (1995), his major touring solo exhibition, ‘Behind the Carnival’ at Huddersfield Art Gallery (1992-94) and Edison Galerie, The Hague (1982); and ‘Mythopoeia’, a touring solo exhibition at Wrexham Art Centre Gallery (1997). From 1979 to 2019 Lyons exhibited in numerous group exhibitions. From 1998-2004 he was co-founder and Director of the Hourglass Studio Gallery, which included an arts education charity-funded branch in West Yorkshire. He has also been active in many art organisations, including as a selector for the exhibitions, ‘Double Vision’ at Cartwright Hall, Bradford (1987) and most notably, Denzil Forrester’s ‘Dub Transition’ at the Harris Museum and Art Gallery, Preston (1991). As a poet he has published seven collections and has contributed to numerous anthologies. In 2016 his collection for children, Dancing in The Rain, was shortlisted for the CLIPPA award given by Clpe (Centre for Literacy in Primary Education). In 2022, he served as a judge for that same award. Lyons has also written published critical texts on the work of other artists. For his contributions to the arts, he was awarded The WindRush Arts Achievement Award in 2003, sponsored by the Arts Council.