Arthur Haywood is a young, talented artist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On Thursday April 25, Haywood was honored at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood as the winner of the Writers and Illustrators of the Future contest. His art will be published in the L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 40, which was created by Illustrators of the Future Judge, Daniel dos Santos. The contest is in its 41st year and is the most prestigious, longest running competition of its kind. Haywood has been creating exceptional artwork since he was a teenager, and has now evolved into connoisseur of many art expressions.
Haywood earned a B.F.A in Illustration from The Maryland Institute College of Art, before furthering his study of classical art at Cambridge Street Studios in Philadelphia, and the Grand Central Atelier in New York. His paintings are seen in Space and Time Magazine, on murals for the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, St. Joseph’s University, Elkins Park School, Summer of Soul film, and his book, The Great Library. Creating fantasy murals and illustrations to inspire others in reading is his passion. His life size paintings are designed to immerse viewers in the world of stories.
Related Links:
Tulsa Artist Wins Trip To Hollywood: “Believe In Your Vision” (theblackwallsttimes.com)
Arthur Haywood – SMART SCHOOL (smarterartschool.com)
Arthur Haywood – Mural Arts Philadelphia Mural Arts Philadelphia
Arthur Haywood | Cheltenham Center for the Arts (cheltenhamarts.org)
His father, Pennsylvania State Senator, Art Haywood, and mother, Julie Haywood, Vice President of Cheltenham Township’s School Board, inspired their son to share his work publicly. As an avid reader, Haywood began to share his favorite stories through illustration. He has received multiple grants around the world to create book covers, paintings, and murals for libraries and schools, to engage youth in reading and art expression.
Early in his career, Haywood starred on a trading spaces television show with his neighbor, which resulted in him receiving resources for a graffiti class at a Philadelphia community center. There he was exposed to public art and realized how art in public spaces could encourage and inspire the community. Haywood uses science-fiction and fantasy to engage and empower youth, while highlighting how limitless art expression can be.
His murals have garnered a lot of attention and through his talent he received an art residency that allowed him to travel to Paris, where he developed murals with students at Lycée Paul Lapie, Ecollectif, and André Malraux Elementary school, depicting students of diverse origins reading, and to encourage learning and cultural appreciation. After returning to the states, Haywood received a grant from the Oklahoma Visual Arts Commission to continue teaching and motivating young students and artists to bring their ideas to reality.
Public art has been Haywood’s favorite type of medium to create and bring art to more people in the community. Creating immersive experiences and sharing art through books and illustrations has given a whole new meaning to “judging a book by its cover.” Haywood believes you should embrace what is appealing to your eyes when looking to connect to literature through art. Staying inspired is the only way to grow and Haywood credits artists from the 19th century and the art he sees online and in museums, for keeping him focused on his passion. Realism with exaggerated colors and figures is the overall theme of most of his work, allowing a story to be told upon first glance.
L. Ron Hubbard founded the Writers of the Future contest in 1983, and due to its success, the Illustrators of the Future contest was initiated five years later. Hubbard’s estate continues to fund the international Writers and Illustrators of the Future contests in perpetuity. Haywood was featured in the Tulsa Black Wall Street Times, and is a recipient of the 2020-2021 Harriet Hale Woolley Scholarship at the Foundation des États-Unis in Paris, and the 2022 – 2023 Tulsa Artist Fellowship where he is continuing his series of paintings for public schools and book covers to inspire reading.
Following the 1982 release of his internationally acclaimed bestselling science fiction novel, Battlefield Earth, Hubbard created the Writers of the Future in 1983 to provide a means for aspiring writers of speculative fiction to get that much-needed break. Due to the success of the Writers of the Future Contest, the companion Illustrators of the Future Contest was inaugurated in 1988.
In the 39 years of the Writers of the Future Contest, there have been 547 winners and published finalists. The past winners of the Writing Contest have published 2,000 novels and nearly 6,300 short stories. They have produced 36 New York Times bestsellers, and their works have sold over 60 million copies. In the 34 years of the Illustrators of the Future Contest, there have been 394 winners. The past winners of the Illustrating Contest have produced over 6,800 illustrations, 390 comic books, graced 700 books and albums with their art, and visually contributed to 68 television shows and 40 major movies.
The Writers of the Future Award has now become the largest, most successful, and demonstrably most influential vehicle for budding creative talent in the world of speculative fiction. Since its inception, the Writers and Illustrators of the Future contests have produced 39 anthology volumes and awarded upwards of $1 million in cash prizes and royalties.
Haywood connects with positive imagery that inspires and encourages expression. He believes “a word is worth a thousand pictures,” and wants young artists to spend healthy amounts of time perfecting their skills, connecting those skills to a message that is important to them, and finding a community for support and resources. As art is a forever changing, Haywood has dedicated his life’s work to creating art and supporting young artist throughout the world. Follow Arthur Haywood on Instagram at Arthur Haywood (@arthurhaywood).
