Black History Month: Alison Saar
Welcome back! I’m continuing my blog series on visual and literary Black artists who inspire me. Let’s talk about:
Alison Saar is probably best known for her massive found-object sculptures that explore the experience of Black women throughout the African diaspora. She’s also an accomplished printmaker; many of the 2D works influence her larger sculptures. I was fortunate enough to meet her during the opening of her solo exhibition “Mirror Mirror: The Prints of Alison Saar,” which ran concurrently with the group exhibition in which I showed my own work.
Alison Saar and I in front of my work at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at WSU. Photo credit: Ryan Hardesty
I can’t say this too many times: art is best experienced in person, especially sculpture. Some of the reasons Saar inspires me:
She uses a chainsaw to shape some of her largest sculptures
She often prints on surfaces whose history carries almost as much meaning as the images themselves
The empty eyes in her prints are both a little spooky and easier to look at than a traditional painting, but I can’t explain why.
And in case you were wondering, yes, Alison’s mother is assemblage artist Betye Saar, whom I profiled last week.
Tomorrow’s artist makes work that gives the opposite vibe. See you then.
Black History Month: vanessa german
Thanks for joining me for another look at Black artists who inspire me. Let’s talk about:
vanessa german creates a poem with installation artist Romson Bustillo. Photo credit: Lisa Myers Bulmash
Famous contemporary artists rarely bother to visit Seattle in person, but vanessa german is the exception I admire. She’s a multi-disciplinary artist (sculpture, performance, communal rituals, immersive installation, and photography) based in Pittsburgh.
Sculpture created for “vanessa german: W E” at Wa Na Wari gallery. Photo credit: Lisa Myers Bulmash
During the summer of 2021, vanessa created a brand-new work at Wa Na Wari, and then created poetry on the fly with those who came to hear her speak. These are the top things I love about her:
her combination of power and vulnerability, both in poetry and in sculpture
her assemblage sculptures are monumental, tender and childlike all at once
her “more is more” aesthetic in her color choices and the architecture of her pieces
According to Kasmin Gallery, which represents some of her work, this summer german will “unveil a new commission for the exhibition Pulling Together at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., which will explore the role of monuments in the telling of American history.” Looking forward to seeing what german creates for the other Washington.
We’ve talked about five artists so far, and there are 15 more to come. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to read the previous blog posts I’m writing for Black History Month.
Black History Month: Betye Saar
Welcome back! If this is your first time on my blog, I’ve started a project for Black History Month, sharing some of the visual and literary artists who inspire me. Let’s talk about:
Artist Betye Saar in her studio. Photo credit: David Sprague for Roberts Projects
Well. I’ll just say I am so glad to be on this planet during her lifetime. This assemblage artist is best known for “The Liberation of Aunt Jemima,” in which she transformed a racist “mammy” cookie jar into a rebel armed with a broom, a grenade, and a rifle. Among the many reasons I love her and her work:
She was born, raised, and educated in the Los Angeles area, where I grew up
She kept producing new pieces while raising her three daughters (a writer and two visual artists)
Her work has always been upfront about anti-Black racism, even at a time when vanishingly few art galleries would even look at art created by Black people.
Would you believe art is her second career? She started out as a social worker. She turns 97 years old this year, and she’s still making new work. Just phenomenal.
Stick around for the first full week of Black History Month. There are lots more artists to come!