The world is a little less colorful after the announcement of internationally-known artist and African American educator, Alfred L. Bright had died on Monday night.

Bright was a 1964 art education graduate of Youngstown State University and in 1965 received his master's degree in painting from Kent State University. 

He quickly became a trailblazer in the local African American community by becoming the first African American full-time faculty member at YSU and eventually became the founding director of the Africana Studies program at the university, which he spear-headed from 1970 to 1987. 

During his life, Bright has had over 50 solo art exhibits located across the country, including at Stanford University, Kent State University, and the Canton Art Institute.

He conducted a notable performance in 2012 at the Akron Art Museum for Super Bowl Sunday, where he painted "Portals In Time" to live music performed by the Jesse Dandy Jazz Trio. 

Some of Bright's awards include three Distinguished Professor Awards from YSU and was also honored at the Who's Who in Black America and Who's Who in American Art. 

Currently, his artwork is a part of multiple permanent collections, including at the Kent State University Gallery, Butler Institute of American Art, the Harmon and Harriet Kelly Collection of African-American Art, Canton Museum of Art, Roanoke Museum of Fine Arts and Northeastern University.