Gerald Clarke (artist)
Encyclopedia
Gerald Clarke is a sculptor
, installation
, and conceptual
artist from the Cahuillia Band of Mission Indians
. His work often reflects on and questions current issues in Native America and the United States, as well as his personal life.
in 1967 to Carol and Gerald Clarke, Sr., his father being born Cahuilla. At the age of 3 his parents divorced and he moved with his siblings and mother to Orange County
, and on the weekends he would return to the reservation to spend time with his father. At age 16, he moved to Arkansas
with his mother and sister. He attended Ozarka College
, where he majored in welding
, electrical maintenance, and hydraulics
; three necessary components to the artworks Clarke would create as a full time artist.
where in 1991 he obtained a Bachelors of Arts in painting and sculpture. Clarke then went on to obtain his Masters of Arts in 1992 from Stephen F. Austin State University
. After graduation he became an adjunct professor of art at Lon Morris College
all the while working on his Masters thesis. With his thesis, which looked at the use of traditional American Indian themes and images in contemporary art, accepted Clarke received his Masters of Fine Arts from Stephen F. Austin in 1994.
in 1996, eventually moving on to East Central University
to serve as assistant professor of art in 1998.
of the Cahuilla people.
, California
, the United States as a whole, and within his personal life.
s with the blades down, meant to be leaned against a wall. The top handles are wrapped in colored ribbons: black, green, red and yellow, colors indicative of the American Indian
community. Writing, in black marker, travels around the handle, until the top of the blade. The four shovels represent his father and one for his three aunts, who are represented on their own shovel by a photograph affixed before the blade. A cattle brand is welded into each shovel blade, like those found on Clarke's family ranch. His goal with Artifacts is to show how one can dig up the past to reveal American Indians in the world today.
In 2009 Clarke's solo show "One Tract Mind" looked at the effects of tract housing
on Native communities in Southern California. In this show Clarke experimented heavily in digital art as well as other mixed media forms looking at water rights, the preservation of sacred sites, and the opposition by Native communities to the invasion of suburbia
.
:
The signs, welcomed by the community, eventually disappeared off the side of the road, plucked off by vandals or road side collectors. Clarke sought to remind his own tribal members that they are valuable to this world.
When Clarke was rewarded a Eiteljorg Fellowship, from the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, in 2007 he created three signs relevant to the Miami people, connecting with the Miami Nation of Indians in Indiana
. Working with Miami artist and historian Scott Shoemaker the three pieces were installed on the museum grounds where they reside to this day:
is an intricate part to the healing of the United States through this fragile time.
is a frequent discussion in art markets where Native American art is the emphasis. Another connection to his family cattle ranch, Clarke created two works to discuss the topic of authenticity
: To the Discriminating Collector in 2002 and Branded in 2006. Creating a branding iron that spells out "INDIAN", To the Discriminating Collector sets aim at collectors that put their stamp of "Indian" on artworks and creators they deem worthy of the term, allowing them to brand books, clothing, films, objects, religion "Indian" with one stamp of the branding iron. He followed up the branding iron with using it, burning the branding into a white sheet of paper. Conceptually the work is simple yet the meaning is meant to question the lack of authenticity that Native American art collectors find in conceptual art by contemporary artists. Many of these collectors seek traditional art forms as a valid form of Native art, while contemporary artists are placed on the back burner in collections and Indian markets.
Performance pieces and other conceptual installation works further to examine Indian markets throughout the country. Native Americans, specifically writers and religious figures, have often been sought by non-Native people to provide guidance and wisdom not often found in traditional Western religion
s. Artworks such as 1998's Indian Wisdom and Manifest Destiny is an installation piece featuring two gumball machine
s: Manifest Destiny which is covered in fabric displaying the flag of the United States
and a white cowboy hat and Indian Wisdom which is covered in fabric reminiscent of Southwestern Indian blankets, and features a picture of Clarke stating "Indian Wisdom" in it. Clarke describes it as his own form of selling out
and while the gumball machines display containers filled dollar bills
, which only cost a mere 25 cents to obtain, the purchaser actually receives a print out with politically minded statements on the back.
Performance
pieces such as Extreme Makeover and Antiques Road Show depict Clark questioning Native American stereotypes, the "whitening" of Native peoples by Europeans, and further exploration into authenticity of being a "real Indian."
life for many Native communities. Responding to the unhealthy social conditions Clark created Continuum Basket (2002); a large wall sculpture that shows the spiraling technique traditional in Cahuilla basketry, it is made of beer
and soda
cans.
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, installation
Installation art
Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called Land art; however, the boundaries between...
, and conceptual
Conceptual art
Conceptual art is art in which the concept or idea involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. Many of the works, sometimes called installations, of the artist Sol LeWitt may be constructed by anyone simply by following a set of written instructions...
artist from the Cahuillia Band of Mission Indians
Cahuilla Band of Mission Indians of the Cahuilla Reservation
The Cahuilla Band of Mission Indians of the Cahuilla Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Cahuilla Indians, who are Mission Indians located in California.-Reservation:...
. His work often reflects on and questions current issues in Native America and the United States, as well as his personal life.
...through art, I can come to an understanding of myself, my community and the world around me. - Gerald Clarke
Early life
Gerald Clarke was born in Hemet, CaliforniaHemet, California
Hemet is a city in the San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County, California, United States. It covers a total area of , about half of the valley, which it shares with the neighboring city of San Jacinto. The population was 78,657 at the 2010 census....
in 1967 to Carol and Gerald Clarke, Sr., his father being born Cahuilla. At the age of 3 his parents divorced and he moved with his siblings and mother to Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
, and on the weekends he would return to the reservation to spend time with his father. At age 16, he moved to Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
with his mother and sister. He attended Ozarka College
Ozarka College
Ozarka College is a two-year public post-secondary institution located primarily in Melbourne, Arkansas, with satellite campuses in Mountain View and Ash Flat, and class offerings in Mammoth Spring, Salem and Viola...
, where he majored in welding
Welding
Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material that cools to become a strong joint, with pressure sometimes...
, electrical maintenance, and hydraulics
Hydraulics
Hydraulics is a topic in applied science and engineering dealing with the mechanical properties of liquids. Fluid mechanics provides the theoretical foundation for hydraulics, which focuses on the engineering uses of fluid properties. In fluid power, hydraulics is used for the generation, control,...
; three necessary components to the artworks Clarke would create as a full time artist.
Higher education
After graduation from vocational school, Clarke worked as a welder, and eventually met Stacy Brown, whom he would eventually marry. Ready for change, Clarke was accepted to University of Central ArkansasUniversity of Central Arkansas
The University of Central Arkansas is a state-run institution located in the city of Conway, the seat of Faulkner County, north of Little Rock and is the fourth largest university by enrollment in the U.S. state of Arkansas, and the third largest college system in the state. The school is most...
where in 1991 he obtained a Bachelors of Arts in painting and sculpture. Clarke then went on to obtain his Masters of Arts in 1992 from Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University is a public university located in Nacogdoches, Texas, United States. Founded as a teachers' college in 1923, the university was named after one of Texas' founding fathers, Stephen F. Austin. Its campus resides on part of the homestead of another Texas founding...
. After graduation he became an adjunct professor of art at Lon Morris College
Lon Morris College
Lon Morris College is a private junior college located in Jacksonville, Texas, United States, and is the only school affiliated with the United Methodist Church that is owned by an individual conference and not the denomination as a whole...
all the while working on his Masters thesis. With his thesis, which looked at the use of traditional American Indian themes and images in contemporary art, accepted Clarke received his Masters of Fine Arts from Stephen F. Austin in 1994.
Teaching career
With his Masters in hand, Clarke headed the art department at Northeast Texas Community CollegeNortheast Texas Community College
Northeast Texas Community College is a community college serving the Northeast Texas region. The campus is set on in rural Titus County near the community of Chapel Hill, approximately seven miles southeast of Mount Pleasant, the county seat....
in 1996, eventually moving on to East Central University
East Central University
East Central University is a four year public university in Ada, Oklahoma, located in the south central region of the state. The university also has courses available in McAlester, Shawnee, Ardmore, and Durant....
to serve as assistant professor of art in 1998.
Current life
With the death of Gerald Clarke, Sr. in 2003, Clarke and his family returned to the Cahuilla Band of Indians reservation. When not creating his own work or teaching art at Idyllwild Arts Academy, Clarke runs a storage business with wife Stacy, assists in running the Clarke family cattle ranch, and remains heavily involved in Cahuilla culture. He is also is a frequent lecturer, speaking regionally about Native art, culture and issues. In 2008 he was elected to the Cahuilla tribal government, which he still serves on. When not working, Clarke participates in Bird Singing, a traditional form of singing that tells the cosmologyCosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
of the Cahuilla people.
Artist statement
My ultimate goal as an artist is to remind people of our shared humanity. I wish to give Indian culture back the humanity that has been taken from it by stereotypes created over the past five centuries. Neither the super-shaman nor the drunken-indian do anything to convey what we as a people feel. In my work, I search for the unconventional beauty one finds only in the TRUTH. It celebrates, it mourns and out outshines all else. I'm a California Indian- part traditionalist, part Disneyland. I want to express the passion, pain and reverence I feel as a contemporary Native person. -Gerald Clarke, 2000
Traditional influences
A traditional art form of the Cahuilla people, basketry is not only a community, but a family tradition for Clarke. While his artworks do not utilize the same materials as seen in traditional basket making, he sees his creation process as similar to theirs: "Cahuilla basket makers go out and gather materials, and they put them together to produce something that is both functional and aesthetic. I kind of do my work the same way. I go out and I gather these things. I combine them."Major works and themes
Clarke's work is often politically minded, reflecting on current and past issues taking place in Indian CountryIndian Country
Indian country is a term used to describe the many self-governing Native American communities throughout the United States. This usage is reflected in many places, both legal and colloquial...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the United States as a whole, and within his personal life.
Contemporary Native America
In 1996 Clarke created Artifacts, a collection of four shovelShovel
A shovel is a tool for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore. Shovels are extremely common tools that are used extensively in agriculture, construction, and gardening....
s with the blades down, meant to be leaned against a wall. The top handles are wrapped in colored ribbons: black, green, red and yellow, colors indicative of the American Indian
American Indian Movement
The American Indian Movement is a Native American activist organization in the United States, founded in 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota by urban Native Americans. The national AIM agenda focuses on spirituality, leadership, and sovereignty...
community. Writing, in black marker, travels around the handle, until the top of the blade. The four shovels represent his father and one for his three aunts, who are represented on their own shovel by a photograph affixed before the blade. A cattle brand is welded into each shovel blade, like those found on Clarke's family ranch. His goal with Artifacts is to show how one can dig up the past to reveal American Indians in the world today.
In 2009 Clarke's solo show "One Tract Mind" looked at the effects of tract housing
Tract housing
Tract housing is a style of housing development in which multiple similar homes are built on a tract of land which is subdivided into individual small lots...
on Native communities in Southern California. In this show Clarke experimented heavily in digital art as well as other mixed media forms looking at water rights, the preservation of sacred sites, and the opposition by Native communities to the invasion of suburbia
SubUrbia
subUrbia is a play by Eric Bogosian chronicling the nighttime activities of a group of aimless 20-somethings still living in their suburban Boston hometown and their reunion with a former high school classmate who has become a successful musician...
.
Road signs
In 2001 Clarke started to create road signs to be displayed along roads on the Cahuilla reservation and near his family's ranch entrance. These road signs show words in the Cahuilla languageCahuilla language
Cahuilla is an endangered Uto-Aztecan language, spoken by the Cahuilla tribe, living in the Coachella Valley, San Gorgonio Pass and San Jacinto Mountain region of Southern California. Cahuilla call themselves Iviatam, speakers of 'Ivia' - the 'original' language. A 1990 census revealed 35 speakers...
:
- Nesun e' elquish - I am sad
- Nextaxmuqa - I am singing
- Kimul Hakushwe - The door is open
- Ivawen - Be strong
The signs, welcomed by the community, eventually disappeared off the side of the road, plucked off by vandals or road side collectors. Clarke sought to remind his own tribal members that they are valuable to this world.
When Clarke was rewarded a Eiteljorg Fellowship, from the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, in 2007 he created three signs relevant to the Miami people, connecting with the Miami Nation of Indians in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. Working with Miami artist and historian Scott Shoemaker the three pieces were installed on the museum grounds where they reside to this day:
- Myaamionki - Place of the Miami
- Oonseentia - Yellow poplar tree
- Seekaahkwiaanki - We held on to the tree limbs
A wider world
Examining not only Native America today, Clarke also looks at the current state of affairs in the United State and beyond. In the video and installation artwork Task (2002 and 2007) he is shown "ironing out the wrinkles that plague our world" in response to September 11, 2001, which he describes as his own type of healing ritual, a ritual and experience that caused him to question the future that his own children would face and how the creation of fine art and freedom of speechFreedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
is an intricate part to the healing of the United States through this fragile time.
Native American art and authenticity
The question of authenticityAuthenticity in art
Authenticity in art has a variety of meanings related to different ways in which a work of art or an artistic performance may be considered authentic.Denis Dutton distinguishes between nominal authenticity and expressive authenticity....
is a frequent discussion in art markets where Native American art is the emphasis. Another connection to his family cattle ranch, Clarke created two works to discuss the topic of authenticity
Authentication
Authentication is the act of confirming the truth of an attribute of a datum or entity...
: To the Discriminating Collector in 2002 and Branded in 2006. Creating a branding iron that spells out "INDIAN", To the Discriminating Collector sets aim at collectors that put their stamp of "Indian" on artworks and creators they deem worthy of the term, allowing them to brand books, clothing, films, objects, religion "Indian" with one stamp of the branding iron. He followed up the branding iron with using it, burning the branding into a white sheet of paper. Conceptually the work is simple yet the meaning is meant to question the lack of authenticity that Native American art collectors find in conceptual art by contemporary artists. Many of these collectors seek traditional art forms as a valid form of Native art, while contemporary artists are placed on the back burner in collections and Indian markets.
Performance pieces and other conceptual installation works further to examine Indian markets throughout the country. Native Americans, specifically writers and religious figures, have often been sought by non-Native people to provide guidance and wisdom not often found in traditional Western religion
Western religion
The term Western religion refers to religions that originated within Western culture, and are thus which historically, culturally, and theologically distinct from the Eastern religions...
s. Artworks such as 1998's Indian Wisdom and Manifest Destiny is an installation piece featuring two gumball machine
Gumball machine
A gumball machine is a toy or commercial device, a type of bulk vending machine, which dispenses gumballs, usually for a small fee.Originally one penny, the standard cost of one gumball in the United States is now one quarter.-History:...
s: Manifest Destiny which is covered in fabric displaying the flag of the United States
Flag of the United States
The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...
and a white cowboy hat and Indian Wisdom which is covered in fabric reminiscent of Southwestern Indian blankets, and features a picture of Clarke stating "Indian Wisdom" in it. Clarke describes it as his own form of selling out
Selling out
"Selling out" is the compromising of integrity, morality, or principles in exchange for money or "success" . It is commonly associated with attempts to tailor material to a mainstream audience...
and while the gumball machines display containers filled dollar bills
United States one-dollar bill
The United States one-dollar bill is the most common denomination of US currency. The first president, George Washington, painted by Gilbert Stuart, is currently featured on the obverse, while the Great Seal of the United States is featured on the reverse. The one-dollar bill has the oldest...
, which only cost a mere 25 cents to obtain, the purchaser actually receives a print out with politically minded statements on the back.
Performance
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
pieces such as Extreme Makeover and Antiques Road Show depict Clark questioning Native American stereotypes, the "whitening" of Native peoples by Europeans, and further exploration into authenticity of being a "real Indian."
Diabetes and alcoholism
Diabetes and alcoholism are serious factors of reservationIndian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
life for many Native communities. Responding to the unhealthy social conditions Clark created Continuum Basket (2002); a large wall sculpture that shows the spiraling technique traditional in Cahuilla basketry, it is made of beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
and soda
Soda
- Food and beverages :* Soft drink, a beverage product* Carbonated water, also known as "soda water"* Ice cream soda, a dessert dish* Soda cracker, or saltine cracker* Soda bread, a variety of quick bread- Science, technology, and biology :...
cans.
Notable collections
- Aqua Caliente Cultural Museum, Riverside County, CA
- Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis, IN
- Heard MuseumHeard MuseumThe Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art is a museum located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. There is also the Heard Museum North Scottsdale branch in Scottsdale and the Heard Museum West branch in Surprise....
, Phoenix, AZ
Major awards
- Eiteljorg Fellowship for Native American Fine Art, 2007, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art
Major exhibitions
- Defying Expectations: Contemporary Native American Art From San Diego County, 2010, Oceanside Museum of Art, San Diego, CA
- One Tract Mind, 2009, C.N. Gorman Museum, Davis, CA
- Seven State Juried Biennial Exhibition, 2001–2002, University of Science and Arts of OklahomaUniversity of Science and Arts of OklahomaThe University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, or USAO, is a public liberal arts college located in Chickasha, Oklahoma. It is the only public college with a strictly liberal arts-focused curriculum in Oklahoma. It provides Bachelor's Degrees and many students move on to graduate schools across...
, Chickasha, OK - National Juried Exhibition, 2000, Holter Museum of Art, Helena, MT
- Spirit of the Great Plains, 1999, Museum of the Great PlainsMuseum of the Great PlainsThe Museum of the Great Plains is a history museum located in Lawton, Oklahoma, USA. The museum’s major exhibits reveal the diverse cultures inhabiting the Great Plains region beginning with the arrival of the Paleo-Indians known as the Clovis culture at approximately 11,500 BCE...
, Lawton, OK - Art in Two Worlds: The Native American Fine Arts, 1999, Heard MuseumHeard MuseumThe Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art is a museum located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. There is also the Heard Museum North Scottsdale branch in Scottsdale and the Heard Museum West branch in Surprise....
, Phoenix, AZ - Seventh Contemporary Native American Invitational, 1997, Heard MuseumHeard MuseumThe Heard Museum of Native Cultures and Art is a museum located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. There is also the Heard Museum North Scottsdale branch in Scottsdale and the Heard Museum West branch in Surprise....
, Phoenix, AZ - Expressions of Spirit: Contemporary Native American Art, 1995, Wheelwright Museum of the American IndianWheelwright Museum of the American IndianThe Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian is a museum devoted to Native American arts. It is located in Santa Fe, New Mexico and was founded in 1937 by Mary Cabot Wheelwright, who came from Boston, and Hastiin Klah, a Navajo singer and medicine man....
, Santa Fe, NM
External links
- Preview of Borderlands a documentary about the Clarke and the Cahuilla community.
- Falling Rock Homepage, The Tragically Hilarious Artwork of Gerald Clarke