Lorenzo Clayton
Encyclopedia
Lorenzo Clayton is a contemporary Navajo
sculptor, printmaker, conceptual
and installation
artist. His artwork is notable for exploring the concepts of spirituality through abstract art.
. Moving to New York City
in 1973 Clayton earned his bachelors of fine arts from Cooper Union
in 1977. Between graduation and his teaching career he worked in the printing industry, then, in 1993, he was named assistant professor at Cooper Union and has also served a lithography instructor at Parsons The New School for Design
Clayton is a professor in the printmaking
department at Cooper Union.
, which he believes is seen throughout Indigenous cultures around the world. Through exploration of the ontological Clayton makes an effort for spiritual nourishment.
In the 1986–1995 series Richard's Third Hand Clayton explored his own spirituality through his love for abstraction and assemblage. The series Come Across (1994–2000) had Clayton blending both Christianity
and Navajo
spirituality to explore a personal loss of self. This artistic and spiritual exploration shows the journey Clayton made to reconnect with his Navajo identity.
In 2006 Clayton exhibited his "mythistoryquest" installations at the National Museum of the American Indian
, New York. The exhibition, titled "Expeditions of the Spirits", featured installation and paperworks, examining the parallels between Christianity and Indigenous religions.
George Sidebotham on a series called Inner Equations. With a mission to use scientific method
to explore irrational thoughts and ideas, the two used Sidebotham's knowledge of mathematical formulae to attempt to explain spiritual growth and relationships. Originally installed at the Jersey City Museum
and then the Heard Museum
, the installation featured a series of chalkboard
s mounted on opposing walls, one side of the room is painted white, the other side is painted black, to represent positive and negative. The chalkboards have diagrams and scribblings all over them, reminiscent of the chalkboard works of Cy Twombly
. The writings, diagrams, and equations show the benefits of good and bad relationships on a person. Clayton also displayed the journal he kept during the creation of the artwork.
In 2009 Clayton collaborated with filmmaker and sound engineer Jacob Burckhardt to create Current, a 3 minute video installation
as part of Wave Hill
's exhibition "The Muhheakantuck in Focus". Muhheakantuck is a Lenape
word meaning "the river that flows both ways" and was the original name for the Hudson River
. The group exhibition featured work by contemporary artists from North and Central America creating artworks about the effects of Henry Hudson
's contact with Indigenous people. Burckhardt and Clayton created an interpretation of that literal meaning creating a video displaying the river moving in different directions and flows. It represents metaphorically the ongoing changes and history of the river, "suggesting that the contact between Henry Hudson’s Dutch expedition and the Lenape people was a pivotal point in time in the continuum of this force of nature."
As well as exhibitions at various private galleries and other museums such as the Morris Museum, Museum of the Rockies
, Seattle Center
, Pratt Manhattan and others.
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
sculptor, printmaker, 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...
and 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...
artist. His artwork is notable for exploring the concepts of spirituality through abstract art.
Background
Lorenzo Clayton was born and raised on the Tohajiilee Indian ReservationTohajiilee Indian Reservation
The Tohajiilee Indian Reservation, formerly known as the Canoncito Indian Reservation, is a non-contiguous section of the Navajo Nation lying in parts of western Bernalillo, eastern Cibola, and southwestern Sandoval counties in New Mexico, USA, west of the city of Albuquerque. It has a land area of...
. Moving to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1973 Clayton earned his bachelors of fine arts from Cooper Union
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
in 1977. Between graduation and his teaching career he worked in the printing industry, then, in 1993, he was named assistant professor at Cooper Union and has also served a lithography instructor at Parsons The New School for Design
Parsons The New School for Design
Parsons The New School For Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is the art and design college of The New School university. It is located in New York City's Greenwich Village, and has produced artists and designers such as Marc Jacobs, Dean and Dan Caten, Norman Rockwell, Donna Karan, Jane...
Clayton is a professor in the printmaking
Printmaking
Printmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable...
department at Cooper Union.
Artistic career
I believe in the modality of abstraction as the core of human experience and expression. I know that this perception of abstraction is due to an indigenous and culturally-based disposition due to my being one half Navajo. - Lorenzo Clayton
Spiritual exploration
Clayton's artwork is heavily influenced by the search for the spiritualSpirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
, which he believes is seen throughout Indigenous cultures around the world. Through exploration of the ontological Clayton makes an effort for spiritual nourishment.
In the 1986–1995 series Richard's Third Hand Clayton explored his own spirituality through his love for abstraction and assemblage. The series Come Across (1994–2000) had Clayton blending both Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
spirituality to explore a personal loss of self. This artistic and spiritual exploration shows the journey Clayton made to reconnect with his Navajo identity.
In 2006 Clayton exhibited his "mythistoryquest" installations at the National Museum of the American Indian
National Museum of the American Indian
The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum operated under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution that is dedicated to the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of the native Americans of the Western Hemisphere...
, New York. The exhibition, titled "Expeditions of the Spirits", featured installation and paperworks, examining the parallels between Christianity and Indigenous religions.
Collaborations
Collaborations with other artists and creators remain an imperative part of Clayton's career. In 2004 Clayton began working with fellow Cooper Union professor and engineerEngineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
George Sidebotham on a series called Inner Equations. With a mission to use scientific method
Scientific method
Scientific method refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of...
to explore irrational thoughts and ideas, the two used Sidebotham's knowledge of mathematical formulae to attempt to explain spiritual growth and relationships. Originally installed at the Jersey City Museum
Jersey City Museum
Jersey City Museum is a former art museum that was most recently located in the Van Vorst Park section of Downtown Jersey City, New Jersey. Serving a diverse community, the Museum collects, exhibits, preserves, and interprets its collections of 19th- and 20th-century paintings, works on paper,...
and then the Heard Museum
Heard Museum
The 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....
, the installation featured a series of chalkboard
Chalkboard
A chalkboard or blackboard is a reusable writing surface on which text or drawings are made with sticks of calcium sulfate or calcium carbonate, known, when used for this purpose, as chalk. Chalkboards were originally made of smooth, thin sheets of black or dark grey slate stone...
s mounted on opposing walls, one side of the room is painted white, the other side is painted black, to represent positive and negative. The chalkboards have diagrams and scribblings all over them, reminiscent of the chalkboard works of Cy Twombly
Cy Twombly
Edwin Parker "Cy" Twombly, Jr. was an American artist well known for his large-scale, freely scribbled, calligraphic-style graffiti paintings, on solid fields of mostly gray, tan, or off-white colors...
. The writings, diagrams, and equations show the benefits of good and bad relationships on a person. Clayton also displayed the journal he kept during the creation of the artwork.
In 2009 Clayton collaborated with filmmaker and sound engineer Jacob Burckhardt to create Current, a 3 minute video installation
Video installation
Video installation is a contemporary art form that combines video technology with installation art, making use of all aspects of the surrounding environment to affect the audience. Tracing its origins to the birth of video art in the 1970s, it has increased in popularity as digital video production...
as part of Wave Hill
Wave Hill
Wave Hill is an estate and garden in New York.Wave Hill may also refer to:*Kalkaringi, Northern Territory, formerly known as Wave Hill, a township in the Northern Territory of Australia...
's exhibition "The Muhheakantuck in Focus". Muhheakantuck is a Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
word meaning "the river that flows both ways" and was the original name for the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. The group exhibition featured work by contemporary artists from North and Central America creating artworks about the effects of Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson was an English sea explorer and navigator in the early 17th century. Hudson made two attempts on behalf of English merchants to find a prospective Northeast Passage to Cathay via a route above the Arctic Circle...
's contact with Indigenous people. Burckhardt and Clayton created an interpretation of that literal meaning creating a video displaying the river moving in different directions and flows. It represents metaphorically the ongoing changes and history of the river, "suggesting that the contact between Henry Hudson’s Dutch expedition and the Lenape people was a pivotal point in time in the continuum of this force of nature."
Major collections
- Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art
- 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 - Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art MuseumJane Voorhees Zimmerli Art MuseumThe Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum is located on the Voorhees Mall of the campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was founded in 1966...
, New Brunswick, NJ - Morris MuseumMorris MuseumThe Morris Museum is in Morristown, New Jersey. By 1927 the museum's collection filled seven rooms. From 1938 through 1956, the museum's contents were on display at the Maple Avenue School...
, Morristown, NJ - Museum of Northern ArizonaMuseum of Northern ArizonaThe Museum of Northern Arizona is a museum in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA, that was established as a repository for Native American artifacts and natural history specimens from the Colorado Plateau.The museum was founded in 1928 by zoologist Dr. Harold S...
, Flagstaff, AZ - National Museum of the American IndianNational Museum of the American IndianThe National Museum of the American Indian is a museum operated under the auspices of the Smithsonian Institution that is dedicated to the life, languages, literature, history, and arts of the native Americans of the Western Hemisphere...
, Washington, DC - Newark MuseumNewark MuseumThe Newark Museum is the largest museum in New Jersey, USA. It holds fine collections of American art, decorative arts, contemporary art, and arts of Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the ancient world...
, Newark, NJ - University of ArizonaUniversity of ArizonaThe University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, Tucson, AZ.
Notable exhibitions
- IN/SIGHT, 2010, Chelsea Art MuseumChelsea Art MuseumThe Chelsea Art Museum is a contemporary art museum located at 556 West 22nd Street on the corner of Eleventh Avenue in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City....
- The Muhheakantuck in Focus, 2009, Wave HillWave HillWave Hill is an estate and garden in New York.Wave Hill may also refer to:*Kalkaringi, Northern Territory, formerly known as Wave Hill, a township in the Northern Territory of Australia...
, New York, New York - Relevant: Reflection-Reformation-Revival: Rethinking Contemporary Native American Art, 2009, Nathan Cummings FoundationNathan Cummings FoundationThe Nathan Cummings Foundation was endowed by Nathan Cummings , founder of Consolidated Foods, now called Sara Lee Corporation...
, New York, New York - The Importance of In/Visibility: Recent Work by Native American Artists Living in New York City, 2009, Abrazo Interno Gallery
- Native Voices, 2008, The Brooklyn Campus of Long Island UniversityThe Brooklyn Campus of Long Island UniversityThe Brooklyn Campus of Long Island University it is a private institution of higher education located in Brooklyn, United States. It is the original unit and first of two main campuses of the private Long Island University system.-Mission statement:...
, Brooklyn, New York - New Tribe, 2006, National Museum of the American Indian, New York, New York
- Moment by Moment: Mediation For The Hand, 2006, North Dakota Museum of ArtNorth Dakota Museum of ArtThe North Dakota Museum of Art is the official art museum of the U.S. state of North Dakota. Located on the campus of the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, the museum is a private not-for-profit institution...
, Grand Forks, North Dakota - Paumanok, 2006, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York
- Inner Equations, 2006, Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona
- Who Stole the TeePee? 2000, National Museum of the American Indian, traveling
- Osaka Triennale, 1994, Japan
- The New Native American Aesthetic, 1984, California State UniversityCalifornia State UniversityThe California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
, Carsan, California - No Trinkets, No Beads, 1984, Palace of Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
As well as exhibitions at various private galleries and other museums such as the Morris Museum, Museum of the Rockies
Museum of the Rockies
The Museum of the Rockies, is located in Bozeman, Montana. The museum, originally affiliated with Montana State University in Bozeman, and now, also the Smithsonian Institution, is known for its paleontological collections, although these are not its sole focus...
, Seattle Center
Seattle Center
Seattle Center is a park and arts and entertainment center in Seattle, Washington. The campus is the site used in 1962 by the Century 21 Exposition. It is located just north of Belltown in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood.-Attractions:...
, Pratt Manhattan and others.
Major awards
- Eiteljorg Fellowship for Native American Fine Art, 1999, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art
- Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award", 1986, Pollock-Krasner FoundationPollock-Krasner FoundationThe Pollock-Krasner Foundation was established in 1985 for the purpose of providing financial assistance to individual working artists of established ability. It was established at the bequest of Lee Krasner, who was an American abstract expressionist painter and the widow of fellow painter Jackson...
- New Jersey State Council on the Arts Grant, 1983, New Jersey State Council on the ArtsNew Jersey State Council on the ArtsThe New Jersey State Council on the Arts was founded in 1966 to support artistic activities in the state of New Jersey. It is funded by the New Jersey State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts ....
- Artist-in-Residence, 1982, Museum of the American Indian
Further reading
- McMaster, Gerald. New Tribe, New York: the Urban Vision Quest. National Museum of the American Indian, Washington. 2005. ISBN 0-9719163-3-0
External links
- Lorenzo Clayton, Vision Project, by Shanna Ketchum-Heap of Birds
- Accrued Gravity at the Peiper-Riegraf Collection
- Come Across (White Heat) from the NMAI's "Who Stole the TeePee?" exhibition.
- "Native New Yorkers: Vision Quest", Maverick Arts Magazine