DOCSLIB.ORG

NPS Form 10 900 OMB No. 1024 0018

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
NPS Form 10 900 OMB No. 1024 0018 NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional certification comments, entries, and narrative items on continuation sheets if needed (NPS Form 10- 900a). 1. Name of Property historic name South Side Community Art Center other names/site number Seaverns mansion Name of Multiple Property Listing (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing) 2. Location street & number 3831 South Michigan Avenue not for publication city or town Chicago vicinity state Illinois county Cook zip code 60653 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this nomination request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: national statewide local Applicable National Register Criteria: A B C D Signature of certifying official/Title: Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Date Illinois Historic Preservation Agency State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria. Signature of commenting official Date Title State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government 1 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 South Side Community Art Center Cook, Illinois Name of Property County and State 4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register determined eligible for the National Register determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register other (explain:) Signature of the Keeper Date of Action United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Cook, ,Illinois Name of Property County and State 5. Classification Ownership of Property Category of Property Number of Resources within Property (Check as many boxes as (Check only one box.) (Do not include previously listed resources in the apply.) count.) Contributing Noncontributing X private X building(s) 2 buildings public - Local district site public - State site structure public - Federal structure object object Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register N/A 6. Function or Use Historic Functions Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) (Enter categories from instructions.) Recreation and culture – Community Art Center Recreation and culture – Community Art Center Domestic – mansion 7. Description Architectural Classification Materials (Enter categories from instructions.) (Enter categories from instructions.) Classical Revival foundation: stone walls: brick roof: asphalt other: limestone detailing 3 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 South Side Community Art Center Cook, Illinois Name of Property County and State Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable. Begin with a summary paragraph that briefly describes the general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style, method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has historic integrity). Summary Paragraph The South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) is located at 3831 South Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. The building was designed in 1892 by architect L. Gustav Hallberg as the residence of George A. Seaverns Jr., his wife, Clara Seaverns, and their two sons. The home was originally built among many wealthy neighbors and was well suited in this context. By the mid-1920s the home and its coach house had become multiple rented apartments, and the neighborhood began to decline. In 1940 the home was purchased by the South Side Community Art Center, an organization created under the auspices of the Federal Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project Community Art Center program. The 1940 art center renovation has been credited to two prominent figures in the New Bauhaus school: Hin Bredendieck and Nathan Lerner. Although the exterior maintained its original features and residential character, the primary interior spaces were transformed to a more progressive architectural aesthetic. The main building is in good condition with various areas in need of differing levels of repair. The coach house is in generally poor condition with some areas having been better protected or maintained. _________________________________________________________________________ Narrative Description General The South Side Community Art Center (SSCAC) is a 3½ story Classical Revival brick masonry structure with limestone trim and decorative features. The building has a hipped roof with a single dormer at the south projecting bay. The size, massing, siting, and design of the building are indicative of its original 1892 residential use, as well as the affluent influences of the neighborhood at the turn-of-the-20th century. The interior embodies elements of the building’s original residential construction; as well as a 1940 renovation, which incorporated a distinct New Bauhaus design in several main rooms that were intended to serve the art center function. There is a two-story coachhouse at the rear of the property which is constructed of masonry similar to the main house. The SSCAC is sited on the east side of a wide, urban boulevard along the 3800 block of South Michigan Avenue. There are several historic and contemporary single and multi- family homes on this block; but nearly half of the lots are vacant land. At the time that the building was renovated for the art center, the surrounding neighborhood was likely much more densely populated, since much of the mansion-lined street had been converted to multi-family tenement houses by the time of the Depression. Although several structures on adjacent blocks have been removed since 1950 (based upon Sanborn maps from 1912 and 1950), the overall character of the surrounding neighborhood remains residential as it was during the period of significance. Site The SSCAC is sited on a wide lot, approximately 50 feet x 140 feet. The northeast corner of the site is slightly chamfered due to a jog in the adjacent rear alley. The main building is generally rectangular and is located toward the north of the site providing a larger yard to the south. The coach house is located at the eastern edge of the site, and its rectangular plan is also truncated by the jog in the property line at the northeast corner. The orientation of the buildings on the site creates a lawn area along the south of the main building which continues to the rear of the lot between the house and the coach house. This yard area is minimally planted with grass and a few sparse trees and shrubs which are likely volunteers that have grown more permanent over time. 4 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 South Side Community Art Center Cook, Illinois Name of Property County and State There is a simple five-foot high wrought iron fence along the west (front) side of the site that is installed upon a concrete curb, a deteriorated paved path leads from the street to the coach house through the center of the lawn, and a few permanent art installations have been placed near the west side of the site. The spatial arrangement of the two buildings on the site remains the same as during the period of significance; no parking lots or other structures have been added to the site. Exterior The west (front), north, and south elevations of the main building are constructed with red/brown face brick with a limestone base. The east (rear) elevation is constructed of common brick. The limestone base at the north, west, and south includes basement level window openings which are primarily single-lite, wood-framed, hopper windows. Three windows at the base of the south rounded bay are taller openings that extend below grade into shallow light-wells. These three windows are wood framed, double-hung units. All basement window openings include exterior decorative iron grilles. The exterior front elevation is articulated by a pedimented limestone entrance canopy with fluted ionic columns, and a rounded projecting bay at the south half of the first and second floors. Limestone
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 'They Made Gullah': Modernist Primitivists and The
    “ ‘They Made Gullah’: Modernist Primitivists and the Discovery and Creation of Sapelo Island, Georgia’s Gullah Community, 1915-1991” By Melissa L. Cooper A Dissertation submitted to the Graduate School-New Brunswick Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in History written under the direction of Dr. Mia Bay and approved by New Brunswick, New Jersey January 2012 2012 Melissa L. Cooper ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION “ ‘They Made Gullah’: Modernist Primitivists and the Discovery and Creation of Sapelo Island, Georgia’s Gullah Community, 1915-1991” by Melissa L. Cooper Dissertation Director: Dr. Mia Bay ABSTRACT: The history of Sapelo Islanders in published works reveals a complex cast of characters, each one working through ideas about racial distinction and inheritance; African culture and spirituality; and the legacy of slavery during the most turbulent years in America’s race-making history. Feuding social scientists, adventure seeking journalists, amateur folklorists, and other writers, initiated and shaped the perception of Sapelo Islanders’ distinct connection to Africa during the 1920s and 1930s, and labeled them “Gullah.” These researchers characterized the “Gullah,” as being uniquely connected to their African past, and as a population among whom African “survivals” were readily observable. This dissertation argues that the popular view of Sapelo Islanders’ “uniqueness” was the product of changing formulations about race and racial distinction in America. Consequently, the “discovery” of Sapelo Island’s Gullah folk was more a sign of times than an anthropological discovery. This dissertation interrogates the intellectual motives of the researchers and writers who have explored Sapelo Islanders in their works, and argues that the advent of American Modernism, the development of new social scientific theories and popular cultural works during the 1920s and 1930s, and other trends shaped their depictions.
    [Show full text]
  • Art for People's Sake: Artists and Community in Black Chicago, 1965
    Art/African American studies Art for People’s Sake for People’s Art REBECCA ZORACH In the 1960s and early 1970s, Chicago witnessed a remarkable flourishing Art for of visual arts associated with the Black Arts Movement. From the painting of murals as a way to reclaim public space and the establishment of inde- pendent community art centers to the work of the AFRICOBRA collective People’s Sake: and Black filmmakers, artists on Chicago’s South and West Sides built a vision of art as service to the people. In Art for People’s Sake Rebecca Zor- ach traces the little-told story of the visual arts of the Black Arts Movement Artists and in Chicago, showing how artistic innovations responded to decades of rac- ist urban planning that left Black neighborhoods sites of economic depres- sion, infrastructural decay, and violence. Working with community leaders, Community in children, activists, gang members, and everyday people, artists developed a way of using art to help empower and represent themselves. Showcas- REBECCA ZORACH Black Chicago, ing the depth and sophistication of the visual arts in Chicago at this time, Zorach demonstrates the crucial role of aesthetics and artistic practice in the mobilization of Black radical politics during the Black Power era. 1965–1975 “ Rebecca Zorach has written a breathtaking book. The confluence of the cultural and political production generated through the Black Arts Move- ment in Chicago is often overshadowed by the artistic largesse of the Amer- ican coasts. No longer. Zorach brings to life the gorgeous dialectic of the street and the artist forged in the crucible of Black Chicago.
    [Show full text]
  • Art-Related Archival Materials in the Chicago Area
    ART-RELATED ARCHIVAL MATERIALS IN THE CHICAGO AREA Betty Blum Archives of American Art American Art-Portrait Gallery Building Smithsonian Institution 8th and G Streets, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20560 1991 TRUSTEES Chairman Emeritus Richard A. Manoogian Mrs. Otto L. Spaeth Mrs. Meyer P. Potamkin Mrs. Richard Roob President Mrs. John N. Rosekrans, Jr. Richard J. Schwartz Alan E. Schwartz A. Alfred Taubman Vice-Presidents John Wilmerding Mrs. Keith S. Wellin R. Frederick Woolworth Mrs. Robert F. Shapiro Max N. Berry HONORARY TRUSTEES Dr. Irving R. Burton Treasurer Howard W. Lipman Mrs. Abbott K. Schlain Russell Lynes Mrs. William L. Richards Secretary to the Board Mrs. Dana M. Raymond FOUNDING TRUSTEES Lawrence A. Fleischman honorary Officers Edgar P. Richardson (deceased) Mrs. Francis de Marneffe Mrs. Edsel B. Ford (deceased) Miss Julienne M. Michel EX-OFFICIO TRUSTEES Members Robert McCormick Adams Tom L. Freudenheim Charles Blitzer Marc J. Pachter Eli Broad Gerald E. Buck ARCHIVES STAFF Ms. Gabriella de Ferrari Gilbert S. Edelson Richard J. Wattenmaker, Director Mrs. Ahmet M. Ertegun Susan Hamilton, Deputy Director Mrs. Arthur A. Feder James B. Byers, Assistant Director for Miles Q. Fiterman Archival Programs Mrs. Daniel Fraad Elizabeth S. Kirwin, Southeast Regional Mrs. Eugenio Garza Laguera Collector Hugh Halff, Jr. Arthur J. Breton, Curator of Manuscripts John K. Howat Judith E. Throm, Reference Archivist Dr. Helen Jessup Robert F. Brown, New England Regional Mrs. Dwight M. Kendall Center Gilbert H. Kinney Judith A. Gustafson, Midwest
    [Show full text]
  • A Finding Aid to the Eldzier Cortor Papers, Circa 1930S-2015, Bulk 1972-2015 in the Archives of American Art
    A Finding Aid to the Eldzier Cortor papers, circa 1930s-2015, bulk 1972-2015 in the Archives of American Art Justin Brancato and Rayna Andrews Funding for the 2017 processing of this collection was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. 2017 December 28 Archives of American Art 750 9th Street, NW Victor Building, Suite 2200 Washington, D.C. 20001 https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions https://www.aaa.si.edu/ Table of Contents Collection Overview ........................................................................................................ 1 Administrative Information .............................................................................................. 1 Biographical Note............................................................................................................. 2 Scope and Content Note................................................................................................. 3 Arrangement..................................................................................................................... 3 Names and Subjects ...................................................................................................... 4 Container Listing ............................................................................................................. 5 Series 1: Biographical Material, 1947-2012............................................................. 5 Series 2: Correspondence, 1970-2015.................................................................... 6 Series 3: Professional Files,
    [Show full text]
  • 2017 Legendary Landmark Richard Hunt
    2017 Legendary Landmark Richard Hunt Born in Chicago in 1935, Richard Hunt developed an interest in art from an early age. From seventh grade on, he attended the Junior School of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He went on to study there at the college level, receiving a B.A.E. in 1957. A traveling fellowship from the School of the Art Institute took him to England, France, Spain and Italy the following year. While still a student at SAIC, he began exhibiting his sculpture nationwide and during his junior year one of his pieces, “Arachne,” was purchased by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 1962, he was the youngest artist to exhibit at Seattle’s World Fair. In 1967, Hunt’s career in sculpture began to take him outside the studio with his first large- scale public sculpture commission, “Play” (the first sculpture commissioned by the State of Illinois Public Art Program). This piece marked the beginning of what Hunt refers to as “his second career” – a career that gives him the opportunity to work on sculpture that responds to the specifics of architectural or other designed spaces and the dynamics of diverse communities and interests. Since that time, he has created over 150 commissioned works. Hunt has received honors and recognition throughout his career, and in 1971, he was the first African-American sculptor to have a major solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His work can be found in numerous museums as well as both public and private collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery and National Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C., the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
    [Show full text]
  • MFA Boston, Acquisition of Works from Axelrod Collection, Press Release, P
    MFA Boston, Acquisition of Works from Axelrod Collection, Press Release, p. 1 Contact: Karen Frascona 617.369.3442 [email protected] MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON, ACQUIRES WORKS BY AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTISTS FROM JOHN AXELROD COLLECTION MFA Marks One-Year Anniversary of Art of the Americas Wing with Display including Works by John Biggers, Eldzier Cortor, and Archibald Motley Jr. BOSTON, MA (November 3, 2011)—Sixty-seven works by African American artists have recently been acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), from collector John Axelrod, an MFA Honorary Overseer and long-time supporter of the Museum. The purchase has enhanced the MFA’s American holdings, transforming it into one of the leading repositories for paintings and sculpture by African American artists. The Museum’s collection will now include works by almost every major African American artist working during the past century and a half. Seven of the works are now displayed in the Art of the Cocktails, about 1926, Archibald Motley Americas Wing, in time for its one-year anniversary this month. This acquisition furthers the Museum’s commitment to showcasing the great multicultural artistry found throughout the Americas. It was made possible with the support of Axelrod and the MFA’s Frank B. Bemis Fund and Charles H. Bayley Fund. Axelrod has also donated his extensive research library of books about African American artists to the Museum, as well as funds to support scholarship. ―This is a proud moment for the MFA. When we opened the Art of the Americas Wing last year, our goal was to reflect the diverse interests and backgrounds of all of our visitors.
    [Show full text]
  • View Exhibition Brochure
    1 Renée Cox (Jamaica, 1960; lives & works in New York) “Redcoat,” from Queen Nanny of the Maroons series, 2004 Color digital inket print on watercolor paper, AP 1, 76 x 44 in. (193 x 111.8 cm) Courtesy of the artist Caribbean: Crossroads of the World, organized This exhibition is organized into six themes by El Museo del Barrio in collaboration with the that consider the objects from various cultural, Queens Museum of Art and The Studio Museum in geographic, historical and visual standpoints: Harlem, explores the complexity of the Caribbean Shades of History, Land of the Outlaw, Patriot region, from the Haitian Revolution (1791–1804) to Acts, Counterpoints, Kingdoms of this World and the present. The culmination of nearly a decade Fluid Motions. of collaborative research and scholarship, this exhibition gathers objects that highlight more than At The Studio Museum in Harlem, Shades of two hundred years of history, art and visual culture History explores how artists have perceived from the Caribbean basin and its diaspora. the significance of race and its relevance to the social development, history and culture of the Caribbean: Crossroads engages the rich history of Caribbean, beginning with the pivotal Haitian the Caribbean and its transatlantic cultures. The Revolution. Land of the Outlaw features works broad range of themes examined in this multi- of art that examine dual perceptions of the venue project draws attention to diverse views Caribbean—as both a utopic place of pleasure and of the contemporary Caribbean, and sheds new a land of lawlessness—and investigate historical light on the encounters and exchanges among and contemporary interpretations of the “outlaw.” the countries and territories comprising the New World.
    [Show full text]
  • Richard Hunt Celebrates in Benton Harbor by Barbara Stodola Richard Hunt Has Reached a Point in Life Where He Could Have Settled Anyplace He Liked
    THE TM 911 Franklin Street Weekly Newspaper Michigan City, IN 46360 Volume 21, Number 43 Thursday, November 3, 2005 Richard Hunt Celebrates in Benton Harbor By Barbara Stodola Richard Hunt has reached a point in life where he could have settled anyplace he liked. The place he chose was Benton Harbor, Michigan. Anyone familiar with the sculptor’s phenomenal success and internation- al connections might well wonder about this choice, until visiting his off-the-beaten-path studio -- and then the why’s and wherefore’s begin to fall into place. Richard Hunt, the acclaimed sculptor, stands beside models of his work at his studio in Benton Harbor, Michigan. The upcoming weekend is a good time to make the trip. It is 45 minutes from Michigan City, driving straight up the Red Arrow Highway and then turn- ing right before the St. Joseph River, veering toward the old downtown of Benton Harbor. Richard Hunt is opening his studio on Friday and Saturday evenings, to celebrate his 10th anniversary in the neighborhood he is helping to revitalize. His neighbors are celebrating too. On Saturday evening Nov. 5, a musical perfor- mance will take place at the First Presbyterian Church right up the street -- in fact, up the hill -- from Hunt’s studio. Three pianists will perform, each in a different style -- classical, jazz and gospel. The con- cert will be followed by an “Afterglow” at the artist’s studio. A special children’s event on Saturday after- noon will feature songs and stories by legendary per- Paying homage to the sea, this 50-foot-high sculpture of dazzling stain- former Ella Jenkins.
    [Show full text]
  • The South Side & Beyond
    THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF THE VISUAL ARTS Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York Volume 32 No. 6 July/August 2018 Established 1973 The South Side & Beyond: A Chicago Art Legacy INSIDE Patric McCoy, Pioneering South Side Art Collector Seven Reviews Cover Shows of African-American Artists Cleveland Prepares to Host International Art Triennial $8 U.S. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists-Sponsored Show Features Martyl and (art)n SUBSCRIPTIONS NEW ART EXAMINER IS AVAILABLE FROM THE FOLLOWING CHICAGO OUTLETS: The New Art Examiner has a long history of pro- ducing quality and independent art criticism. 57th Street Books Subscription rates include six issues, print and digi- 1301 E 57th St, Chicago, IL 60637 tal version sent by email. (773) 684-1300 USA/Canada $55 postage incl. ARC Gallery Rest of World $80 postage incl. 2156 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60647 (773) 252-2232 Please send checks, along with your name and Corbett vs Dempsey Gallery address, made payable to: 1120 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60622 New Art Examiner (773) 278-1664 5542 N. Paulina St. Chicago, IL 60640. USA. Fahlstrtom’s Fresh Fish Market 1258 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 281-6000 ADVERTISING RATES 2018 Firecat Projects 2124 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60647 FULL PAGE Inside front cover $500 (773) 342-5381 Inside back cover $400 Hilton | Asmus Contemporary FULL PAGE $300 716 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60654 HALF PAGE – portrait/landscape $200 (312) 475-1788 QUARTER PAGE – (editorial page) $125 Jackson and Junge Gallery (add $25 for inclusion on web site) 1339 N.
    [Show full text]
  • Haitian Contemporary Art in Transit a Dissertation
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles “No Word for ‘Art’ in Kreyòl”: Haitian Contemporary Art in Transit A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Culture and Performance by Peter Lockwood Haffner 2017 © Copyright by Peter Lockwood Haffner 2017 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION No Word for ‘Art’ in Kreyòl”: Haitian Contemporary Art in Transit by Peter Lockwood Haffner Doctor of Philosophy in Culture and Performance University of California, Los Angeles, 2017 Professor Allen Fraleigh Roberts, Co-Chair Professor Mary Nooter Roberts, Co-Chair The dissertation that follows is an inter-disciplinary study of the ways in which a range of individuals with varying stakes and motivations have constructed a category called “Haitian Art” during a period beginning prior to World War II and extending to the present day. Haitian Art, like any cultural product ascribed to a group of people, is a taxonomic construction that subsumes a diverse and complex set of artistic and cultural practices under a limited and often questionable rubric. Over decades, international connections between Haiti and the US have consistently influenced and directed visual arts production in Haiti. Historically, tourism has played an outsized role in facilitating these cross-cultural contacts and exchanges between Haitian artists and expatriate visitors to Haiti. More recently, “traditional” forms of tourism have given way to visitors who travel to Haiti, not for purposes of leisure, but in response to the myriad crises that have afflicted the country. For this thesis, I argue that movements of people, ideas, and art objects have contributed to narratives of “Haiti” that have circulated throughout the United States vis-à-vis the production, acquisition, and exhibition of works made by Haitian ii artists.
    [Show full text]
  • Richard Hunt American, B. 1935 Muskegon Together Rising Welded Stainless Steel, 2008 Gift of Patricia & Charles E
    Richard Hunt American, b. 1935 Muskegon Together Rising Welded Stainless Steel, 2008 Gift of Patricia & Charles E. Johnson II, Robert & Corky Tuttle Fund, The Michigan Economic Development Co., and Alcoa Foundation Collection of Community Foundation for Muskegon County, 2008 The iconic “Together Rising” art structure in the roundabout at Western Avenue and Third Street was unveiled in 2008 after Muskegon was awarded a Cool Cities grant from Michigan. Created by famed Chicago artist Richard Hunt, this 60-foot tall piece with shapes resembling waves, wings and arms quickly became an iconic work of art symbolizing the long-awaited and planned resurgence of downtown Muskegon. The magnitude and energy of Muskegon, Together Rising, geometric to organic, is rendered more spectacular by the imposing taper of its inverted triangle. Narrowing to about ten feet in diameter, it serves a practical purpose: to insure the visibility and sight lines necessary for the motorists’ comfort and safety as they circle the roundabout. The taper also has an aesthetic function: it identifies the center of the roundabout as the root, surrounded by indigenous Great Lakes limestone, from which the sculpture—and a new Muskegon—emerge. Installed, the height of Muskegon Together Rising is an inspiring, nearly 60 feet of stainless steel. It is muscular and vigorous, stalwart and mighty, its skyward reach aggressive and urgent. Its reflections shimmer with startling brightness or whisper a subtle glow. The textured surface of the polished steel suggests a gentle breeze across familiar waters. Richard Hunt was born in 1935 in Chicago, Illinois. He studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he graduated in 1957.
    [Show full text]
  • Feminist Studies > Reclaiming Histories: Betye and Alison Saar, Feminism, and the Representation of Black Womanhood
    Reclaiming Histories: Betye and Alison Saar, Feminism, and the Representation of Black Womanhood Jessica Dallow The feminist movement has given me more professional exposure. But I resist that now, just like I resist exhibiting in African Amer- ican artists' shows. I've always worked the same way, and haven't done anything I would consider "feminist art." –Betye Saar Yes, I am a feminist. I was involved with the Women's Space [Womanspace] here in Los Angeles. Feminism for me implies more like humanism, just accepting yourself and knowing that it's okay to be the way you are. For me the ultimate goal is to be a whole person and to accept the outcome. –Betye Saar People aren't really ready to deal with fierce female passion. –Alison Saar Betye Saar considers herself a feminist; however she resists designating her artwork as such. Similarly, Alison Saar, Betye's daughter, avoids labeling her own art as feminist.1 Yet, both artists have helped to shape a feminist consciousness in the arts since the early 1970s through their probing constructions of autobiography, self-identity, family, and the fe- male body: a consciousness circulating around the historical develop- ment of the African American female nude. Betye's early ideas of spiritu- ality and ethnicity, shaped in the early 1970s, have germinated within her daughter, evidenced by Alison's bust- and full-length nude, non- white female figures of the 1980s and 1990s. The Saars' intergenera- tional explorations of race, history, and the black female body represent a crucial step to reclaim the contentious history surrounding the visual representation of African American women.
    [Show full text]