Beer Cans are Crushed and Coiled to Create Stunning Basket Sculptures
26/11/2016
More on Native American Art
Her Photos of Native American Ceremonial Sites Challenge Indigenous Portrayals
Shes Photographing Every Native American Tribe in the United States
Native American Weaver and Activist Mabel McKay Speaking to a Classroom
1 of 3
next
When youre a school kid in California, Gerald Clarke Jr. said, you learn about the missions. And then, the multimedia artist added, you learn about Indians.
But Clarke, who belongs to the Cahuilla Band of Indians, never identified with the hard-working, subservient happy slave[s] he saw depicted in textbooks and museum exhibits. Nor did he feel a kinship to the Native American archetypes he saw in movies and on television: the proud warrior, the spiritual sage, the super-ecologist, the savage.
The idea of the Indian and my daily reality were polar opposites, he recalled, so he was forced to find his own identity. To this day, I always identify with the outsiders, and I identify with the underdogs.
Creativity came naturally to Clarke, who grew up on a cattle ranch on the Cahuilla reservation near Anza in Riverside County. (He now raises cattle on the same property.)
When you grow up dirt poor and you got nothing, you make do with a lot of stuff, Clarke said. We used to build our own bike ramps and forts. I see that as my early excursions into sculpture.
Clarkes art was also shaped by his education. The artist, who has a bachelors degree from the University of Central Arkansas and a master of fine arts degree from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, is an assistant professor of ethnic studies at UC Riverside. (He previously served as visual arts chair at Idyllwild Arts Academy.)
The digital collage One Tract Mind: Baskets by Gerald Clarke Jr. pairs images of Native American baskets with photos of tract housing.
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSend EmailCommentPin on PinterestShare on LinkedInShare on Google+
--
--
I joke that when people see my artwork in galleries, they go, Well, wait a minute. Wheres the Indian stuff? said Clarke, who won the Eiteljorg Fellowship for Native American Fine Art in 2007. They dont understand [that] its not just a material or a format; its more of an outlook on life.
In fact, he said, The stereotype or the image of Indian art is just as problematic as the stereotype of the person. When people think Indian art, they think of materials, really - beads or clay or leather.
Although Clarke taps into those artistic traditions, his wide-ranging repertoire encompasses everything from painting to sculpture to installation art. His series One Tract Mind, for instance, uses video and photography to explore the subject of tract housing in Southern California.
I always tell people my medium is kitchen sink. Its anything I can get my hands on, that I can manipulate or do something with that will teach me something new, Clarke said, adding that he prefers methods and materials that are easily accessible to viewers.
What I do is I use ready-made objects - and those already-cemented stereotypes - as vehicles to engage people, he explained. Its not a matter of me dumbing down my message at all. Its using things that are readily apparent or comforting to see, in order to get people to engage in the work.
Gerald Clarke Jr., Enduring Tradition, 2014. Powder Coat, Steel, Fiberglass, Enamel. 72 x 40 x 120. El Paseo Sculpture Exhibition. Palm Desert, CA.
Take his Basket series, in which aluminum soda and beer cans are crushed and coiled to create stunning sculptures. Clarke said his series celebrates the beauty of the centuries-old Cahuilla basket-making tradition while offering a subtle commentary on the issues facing modern-day tribal members, including alcoholism and diabetes.
Los Angeles Autry Museum of the American West commissioned Clarke to create a six-foot-diameter beer-can basket for its expansive California Continued project, which spans two new galleries and an ethnobotanical garden. According to the museum, the piece, Continuum Basket: Flora comments on how development, technology, and industry impinge on desert lands.
Another new work, Democracy for Sale, utilizes two gumball machines to address the current presidential election. On display through Oct. 30 as part of the group show Made in America at the Lancaster Museum of Art and History, each machine - one marked Democrat, the other Republican - dispenses plastic capsules containing one-inch scraps of an American flag.
Native American artist Gerald Clarke Jr. uses a gumball machine to explore the electoral process in his sculpture Democracy for Sale.
When you put your quarter in and you crank it, you get this tiny piece of flag [indicating] whatever party youre going to vote for, said Clarke, whos served as vice chairman of the Cahuilla Band of Indians. But no one will get all of the flag unless they buy both of those gumball machines.
Clarke hopes the work will start a conversation about the American political system.
As a contemporary Native American artist, hes always mindful of his audience. I tell people I have two talents. I can make expensive clothing look cheap, and I can talk to pretty much anybody - the guys at the feed store or the guys at the museum or the guys on Capitol Hill, he said. Im able to relate to a lot of people.
Artist Gerald Clarke Jr. crafted Basket Exploration: Pivat from wood, resin, raffia and DVD disks.
Top image: Detail of Continuum Basket, Metal (aluminum cans), 2002 by Gerald Clarke Jr. (Cahuilla), at the Junipero Serra and the Legacies of the California Missions exhibit at the The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens on August 12, 2013 in San Marino, CA. | Photo: Liz O. Baylen/Los Angeles Times via G
LINK: | https://www.kcet.org/shows/artbound/gerald-clarke-jr-artist-cahuilla-c... |
See more stories from kcet |
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
01/05/2024
Release Rundown: What to Watch in May, From I Saw the TV Glow to Power
Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine) develop an eerie connection to a supernatural TV show in Jane Schoebrun's I Saw the TV Glow....
01/05/2024
Celebrate May the 4th With Special Star Wars' Playlists, Audiobooks, and More
Spotify's Star Wars celebrations are in full Force starting today, and this ...
01/05/2024
Spotify's New Hardcore Gardening Playlist and Brain Dead Collab Will Rattle Greenhouses Everywhere
All around the world, millions of Spotify fans love listening to hardcore punk m...
01/05/2024
THE CALL FOR THE FIFTH PRESIDENTIAL EMPLOYMENT STIMULUS PROGRAMME (PESP5) FOCUSED ON THE AUDIO-VISUAL INDUSTRY, IS OPEN.
THE CALL FOR THE FIFTH PRESIDENTIAL EMPLOYMENT STIMULUS PROGRAMME (PESP5) FOCUSE...
01/05/2024
QTAKE Pioneers Live 3D Stream to Apple Vision Pro
QTAKE, the leading video assist and on-set collaboration software trusted by professional filmmakers worldwide, launched a new cutting-edge feature at NAB 2024....
01/05/2024
LA County Opens Entertainment Business Interruption Fund Grant Program for Small Business, LAEDC Offers Updates
In HPA's ongoing focus on providing input and insight from city and county g...
01/05/2024
Trailblazing AI Storytelling by Empowering Storytellers: Curious Refuge
HPA Newsline had the opportunity to speak with Caleb and Shelby Ward, founders of Curious Refuge. Caleb and Shelby were participants in the 2024 HPA Tech Retrea...
01/05/2024
Supporting Global Air Traffic Modernization through Managed Services Infrastructure
L3Harris works with air navigation service providers who efficiently manage air ...
01/05/2024
Q&A with Scott Alexander, Aerojet Rocketdyne's new Missile Solutions President
Scott Alexander, Missile Solutions President, Aerojet Rocketdyne...
01/05/2024
Comcast: More Than Half of Viewers Frustrated About Finding Content
NEW YORK Just over half of U.S. viewers are frustrated over their ability to be able to find content to watch on TV according to Comcast....
01/05/2024
Bally RSNs Go Dark On Comcast Systems
Bally Sports Regional Networks were taken off Comcast's systems on April 30 when their existing distribution agreement expired and Diamond Sports Group was ...
01/05/2024
NXTGENbps powers Molinare's Notorious DIT
NXTGENbps battery solutions are designed to replace diesel generators and offer silent, emission-free power for various applications in film, TV, outside broadc...
01/05/2024
Elodie Ichter Joins Light Iron as Senior Colorist
Light Iron, the post-production creative-services division of Panavision, is excited to announce that lodie Ichter has joined the company's artist roster a...
01/05/2024
CJP presents live mo-cap demos at MPTS
CJP Broadcast Service Solutions, systems integration, production and content digitisation specialist, will feature live motion capture demonstrations at the 202...
01/05/2024
Media Links Partners with Sunteq for Representation in S...
Media Links, manufacturer and pioneer in Media over IP transport technology, has partnered with Sunteq spol s.r.o., a leading reseller located in Slovakia to st...
01/05/2024
Dot Group Showcases Enhanced Data Management and Sustaina...
Dot Group, a leader in cutting-edge data management solutions and the premier European reseller of critical Broadcast supporting IBM technologies, will demonstr...
01/05/2024
Glensound shows the latest in IP audio at MPTS
Glensound, industry leader in high quality audio systems, is showcasing the latest additions to its extensive portfolio of networked audio products at MPTS. Aud...
01/05/2024
Hitomi Broadcast to demonstrate ST2110 MatchBox at MPTS
Hitomi Broadcast, a leader in audio/video alignment and latency solutions, will be demonstrating advancements in SMPTE ST2110 workflows ensuring broadcasters ha...
01/05/2024
Leading UK vendors join in the CABSAT 30th anniversary ce...
Taking a leading role in the 30th anniversary CABSAT exposition (Dubai World Trade Centre, 21 23 May), the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland pavilion will fe...
01/05/2024
NXTGENbps Powers Notorious DITs Green Energy Initiative w...
NXTGENbps, a pioneer in green energy solutions, proudly announces its partnership with Notorious DIT, a leading provider of digital imaging technology services ...
01/05/2024
Videosys Broadcast Brings Pan and Tilt To Coverage Of The...
As Cambridge celebrated its double win over Oxford in the 2024 Boat Race, behind the scenes celebrations were also taking place at Videosys Broadcast to mark th...
01/05/2024
Live After 5' summer concert series returns to downtown Raleigh
A popular - and free - summer concert series is coming back to downtown Raleigh! WRAL is proudly partnering with Downtown Raleigh Alliance for its Live After ...
01/05/2024
Cadent Launches Performance TV To Boost Omnichannel Ad Results
Cadent said it launched Performance TV, designed to increase the effectiveness of campaign by combining the reach of traditional linear TV with the targeting of...
01/05/2024
Eric Johnson, KOMO Seattle Anchor, Sets Retirement
Eric Johnson, anchor at KOMO Seattle, will retire as of June 6. Johnson anchors the 5 and 6 p.m. weekday newscasts and writes/produces/hosts Eric's Heroes,...
01/05/2024
T-Mobile Dials Deeper Into Ad Business With Retail Network (NewFronts)
T-Mobile said it is expanding its advertising business, creating an in-store retail media network and adding Plex, the video streaming platform for its footprin...
01/05/2024
Samsung Ads Expands AI Tools To Target Streaming Viewers (NewFronts)
Samsung Ads said it was introducing new opportunities for advertisers to use data about its viewers to target viewers across the full marketing funnel at its Ne...
01/05/2024
Samsung TV Plus Swings for the Fences With Streaming Sports Channels (NewFronts)
Samsung's ad-supported streaming platform Samsung TV Plus is putting more sports in its lineup with free channels about baseball, golf, hockey, auto racing ...
01/05/2024
Dan Rather Documentary Offers Open-Book' Look at Newsman
Rather, a documentary about famed newsman Dan Rather, premieres on Netflix May 1. The film looks at his rise to prominence in TV news, including his work coveri...
01/05/2024
Ken Wayne, KRON San Francisco Anchor, Retires Next Month
Ken Wayne, evening anchor at KRON San Francisco, is retiring after 33 years in Bay Area television. He was born in Marin County, started his journalism career a...
01/05/2024
Jeff Blaszak Promoted To Senior VP at ShowSeeker
ShowSeeker, the company behind the Pilot cloud-based order management system, said it promoted Jeff Blaszak to senior VP of business operations and strategy....
01/05/2024
Great American Media Picks VideoAmp As Ad Currency
Great American Media said it reached an agreement with VideoAmp that will enable clients to use VideoAmp's ad buying measurement and data capabilities when ...
01/05/2024
NXTGENbps powers Molinaire's Notorious DIT
NXTGENbps battery solutions are designed to replace diesel generators and offer silent, emission-free power for various applications in film, TV, outside broadc...
01/05/2024
Amazon CEO: AWS has multi-billion dollar revenue run rate in AI already
Sales rose to $25bn during the first three months of 2024, up 17 per cent year-on-year By Matthew Corrigan Published: May 1, 2024 Sales rose to $25bn duri...
01/05/2024
Roku to Offer NBC Olympics Zone
NEW YORK NBCUniversal and Roku are teaming up to offer the NBC Olympic Zone on Roku, a new destination on the Roku Home Screen Menu. The dedicated channel wil...
01/05/2024
U.K.'s Freely Officially Launches
Freely the new streaming service backed by Britain's leading broadcasters BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 is now available through the next generation of ...
01/05/2024
Study: FAST Channel Growth Accelerates
NEW YORK A new report on free, ad-supported streaming channels indicates that their growth continues to accelerate, with the number of channels hours views and ...
01/05/2024
VuWall Unveils New Capabilities For VuStream 150 Video Encoder
MONTREAL VuWall has enhanced its VuStream 150 H.264 video encoder with new features and capabilities, including support for HDMI signals at resolutions up to 38...
01/05/2024
Samsung TV Plus Announces New High-Profile FAST Channels for Sports
NEW YORK At the IAB NewFronts 2024, Samsung Ads announced a new lineup of premium sports, music, family and entertainment content on its leading FAST service Sa...
01/05/2024
WAPA TV Celebrates 70th Anniversary As #1 Station in Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO WAPA TV has announced that it will be celebrating its 70th anniversary on May 1 as the number 1 broadcasters on the island....
01/05/2024
Diamond Sports Group Renews Its Distribution Deal with Cox
SOUTHPORT, Conn. & ATLANTA Diamond Sports Group and Cox Communications have reached a multi-year renewal of their distribution agreement for the continued carri...
01/05/2024
Warner Bros. Discovery Networks Dropped by Fubo
As the NBA playoffs heat up on TNT, Warner Bros. Discovery and FuboTV have been unable to reach a new distribution deal. That impasse forced the vMVPD to drop T...
01/05/2024
Time for NAB Reality Check
Time for NAB Reality Check Andy Marken April 30, 2024 0 Comments Above image source - Allegiant, Summit Entertainment Great leaders don't seek...
01/05/2024
Dream Street Productions Switches Live Corporate Events with ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO
Dream Street Productions Switches Live Corporate Events with ATEM Television Stu...
01/05/2024
lodie Ichter Joins Light Iron as Senior Colorist
lodie Ichter Joins Light Iron as Senior Colorist Brie Clayton April 30, 2024 0 Comments Acclaimed colorist brings global expertise on high-profile pro...
01/05/2024
SVG Digital Engagement Forum: Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY
SVG Digital Engagement Forum: Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY Catch up on the latest in streaming, interactivity, engagement and more from this inau...
01/05/2024
David Beckham Scores on the Cover of 'Queue' Issue 16
Back to All News David Beckham Scores on the Cover of Queue Issue 16 David Beckham on the cover of Queue. Krista Smith Director, Queue Entertainment 01 Ma...
01/05/2024
Haivision Celebrates 20 Years of Leadership and Innovation in Live Video
MONTREAL, CANADA - May 1, 2024 - Haivision Systems Inc. ( Haivision ) (TSX: HAI), a leading global provider of mission-critical, real-time video networking and ...
01/05/2024
MPTS. London. May 15-16, 2024
Wednesday, 15 May 11:35 The Gallows Pole - Creating a Workflow to Support the Creative Vision FilmLight sits down with the award-winning Residence Pictures t...