During his studies, Choate served as an officer of the Harvard Lampoon, a humor magazine. He also served as president of the Morristown School Club, an affinity group for graduates of the school attending Harvard.[5] In 1921, Harvard awarded Choate the Bowers Prize in fine arts for the "best drawing, made directly from nature, by an undergraduate in any of the courses in Fine Arts". The prize carried an honorarium of $25 [6] (a sizable amount for the time). In 1937, Choate designed the medal of Harvard's Signet Society, which they present to alumni who have made significant achievements in the arts.[7]
After graduating from Harvard, Choate studied figure painting at the Académie Julian in Paris. He also took classes at the Académie de la Grande Chaumiere and the Académie Delécluse. After visiting Greece, Choate shifted his main artwork interest from portraits and murals to sculpture. He returned to the Boston area to study sculpture under Harvard professor John A. Wilson. While residing in Boston, Choate served as the art editor of The Youth's Companion, a children's magazine, until 1927.[2] Five years later, Choate spent time traveling Morocco and the Sudan. This experience influenced much of his later artwork.[8]
In 1962, Choate and ceramicist Francis Von Tury created a mural for New York City Community College, which now operates as the New York City College of Technology (City Tech). The 33 foot by 17 foot mosaic portrayed six figures to symbolize the school's activities in health, athletics, recreation, competition, drama, and music. Choate's mural stood for 53 years until City Tech razed the building it adorned in 2013 to construct a new educational complex.[13] Seeking to save the mural, activist Robert Holden from Queens and his colleagues spearheaded a campaign in the summer of 2013. After Holden contacted the Board of Trustees of the City University of New York system, they elected to preserve the mural in storage.[14]
Greenwich Village home
Choate owned a four-story home at 237 West West Fourth Street in Greenwich Village, a historical hub of artistic creativity. While living there, he painted murals of Haiti and Trinidad for the Calypso at 146 Macdougal Street, a restaurant that served Caribbean cuisine.[10] In 1957, Choate sold the property to realtors Lloyd Hauser and J. P. Sloane. They planned to house a group of four young sculptors.[15]
Collections displaying Choate's artwork
Public collections in many locations around the U.S. display Choate's work, including:
^"In Local Galleries: A Score of New Openings; A Young American Sculptor's Debut -- The Protean Mr. Burliuk -- Other Shows". The New York Times. 18 November 1934.
^"Architects Award Prizes in 3 Fields". The New York Times. 22 April 1937.
^Mike Morales (13 June 2013). "Brooklyn History being destroyed as City Tech razes auditorium and mural created by top African-American sculptor Nathaniel Choate". The New York Daily News.
^Andrew Johnson (12 September 2013). "Holden helps save historical mosaic". Queens Chronicle.
^"Sculptor Sells 'Village' House; Buyers of Nathaniel Choate Property to Enlarge It". The New York Times. August 22, 1957.