Alonzo Davis Creates John T. Riddle Scholarship Award

In Memory of Alonzo Joseph Davis Jr. who created the John T. Riddle Scholarship. 

Donations in honor and in memory of Alonso Davis, a significant contemporary artist and educator, will go towards the John T. Riddle Scholarship for students. His legacy will support LACC students studying art.  Both Alonso and John are LACC alumni and contributed greatly to the art movement in Los Angeles.

Alonzo Joseph Davis Jr. (February 2, 1942 – January 27, 2025) was an American artist and known for co-founding the Brockman Gallery in Los Angeles with his brother Dale Brockman Davis. In reaction to a perceived lack of coverage of black art, Davis became an advocate for black art and artists. His best-known work is the Eye on ’84 mural he painted to commemorate the 1984 Summer Olympics.

Davis’s mural, Eye on ’84, was one of the ten murals commissioned under Los Angeles’ 1984 Olympic Murals project. Davis’s mural was located on the southbound I-110 at the Third Street on-ramp across from Judy Baca’s Hitting the Wall. His mural, acrylic on concrete, depicted a series of internationally recognizable symbols including the Olympic Rings. The mural suffered weathering and was considered unrecoverable. The mural was painted over in 2001 by CalTrans.

In early 2022, Alonzo Davis established the John T. Riddle Scholarship. Both Alonzo and John attended Los Angeles City College. Alonzo Davis worked at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles where John was his student. Alonzo wanted to memorialize John T. Riddle as his work was of significant import in the art cannon. Alonzo created the fund to benefit art students at Los Angeles City College. The funds support 1 to 2 $500 annual scholarships (based on earnings). John’s artwork evokes his work in the political world, including his activism with the Watts Riots. 

In late 2022, Alonzo placed on loan John T. Riddle, Jr.’s, “Fallen Man” (1968-69), welded metal, paint for the Michael Massenberg exhibition at Los Angeles City College. The piece remained on exhibit through the end of the Spring 2023 semester in the College Quad, immediately outside of the Da Vinci Gallery. In the Fall of 2023, John was featured as the key-note speaker for the LACC college-wide convocation. He shared stories about his life and career after LACC.

In honor of Alonzo Joseph Davis Jr., Click here to donate to the John T. Riddle Scholarship which helps students in the art department. When donating, list “In memory of Alonzo Davis” in the comments or select “In memory of Alonzo Davis” from the designation drop-down menu. Thank you for your commitment to the success of Los Angeles City College students.