Hi! For the third Art & Fashion Spotlight I have another entrant I've been waiting to feature for years. I think I found her during my first year doing BHS, but I kept finding other people and I'd always push it off to the following year. I wasn't going to do that again. I can't do her work enough justice in just words, so please check out the further reading/research links at the bottom of the page. Let's get to today's entrant!
Name: Betye Saar, 1926--
Profession: Artist
Why is the Spotlight on her today? For her talent and respected position in the art community stemming from her skill with showing the African-American experience through her art
Notables:
--Became known for her works with stereotypical African-American folk figures and her transformation of those images into political and social protestations
----Is noted as the catalyst for the birth of the Black women's movement because of her now iconic piece reimagining the stereotypical image of Aunt Jemima with a rifle, which she revisited and updated in 2017
--Was inspired by the works of Simon Rodia and Joseph Cornell
--Has created lasting politically and socially charged images bringing life to the Black experience during the civil rights movement following MLK's assassination
--Creates her pieces from collections of recycled ordinary, everyday objects and a few key items important to the story behind the art
--Has travelling exhibitions that are seen both countryside and internationally
--Was recognized as one of the artistic heavyweights presenting strong female figures during the '60s and '70s
--Was a part of the Black Arts Movement of the '70s
--Was a professor at UCLA and the Otis Art Institute
--Was honored with a Distinguished Women in Arts Award by the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles
--Has been part of nearly, if not over, 100 group exhibitions
--Integrates elements of her ancestry in addition to those of the political times into her assemblages
--Has covered topics like imprisonment, racism and discrimination, feminism and gender bridges in her work
--Received a National Endowment for the Arts Award, which enabled her to travel and show off her artwork to an international audience
--Received a fellowship from the J. Paul Getty Fund for the Visual Arts
--Has five of her works publicly displayed around the country
--Has work in a number of prestigious art museums around the country
--Was part of the first Black women's art exhibition in California
--Has done over 50 solo exhibitions, including two at the California African-American Museum
--Was awarded the Lifetime Achievement in the Fine Arts Award by the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington, D.C.
--Is currently part of a group exhibit by the Brooklyn Museum and the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art to highlight artwork that brings attention to important issues or combats stereotypes
--Was awarded the James Van Der Zee Award by the Brandywine Workshop
--Holds 4 honorary doctorate's degrees
Further reading links:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
Quotes of the Day:
“I am intrigued with combining the remnant of memories, fragments of relics and ordinary objects, with the components of technology. It’s a way of delving into the past and reaching into the future simultaneously.”
"Curiosity
about the unknown
has no boundaries.
Symbols, images, place and cultures merge.
time slips away.
The stars, the cards, the mystic vigil
may hold the answers.
By shifting the point of view
an inner spirit is released.
Free to create."
--Betye Saar
No comments:
Post a Comment