African American Marbleization–An Act of Civil Disobedience: Hair Sanctuary
Built with commonly found cinder blocks around a water feature, African American Marbleization-An Act of Civil Disobedience: Hair Sanctuary provides a place for reflection and conversation. The installation’s use of fine porcelain clay elements elevates this personal and intimate subject matter to a cherished and hallowed realm. The collaborative sculpture features hair picks and accompanying audio stories narrating a range of gendered and racialized experiences, many celebrating hair and hair care as a kind of sanctuary.
Notes on the African American Marbleization Series
“There are three components to the series: objects, fragments, and architectural structure.
Fragments: These pieces are sculpted in clay then cast in marble dust. The pieces are then chiseled away to have a fragmented look. The fragments are often installed in spaces where I experienced micro/macro aggressions. The pieces are accompanied by a sign naming the aggression in hopes of educating the community and as a source of healing for myself.
Objects: I research objects of my past then use my present to inform their structure. Objects may include a grease pot with curl patterns, afro picks, girls doing things specific to my culture, or other objects of the African diaspora that I’m interested in exploring.
Architectural Sculpture: Sol Lewitt sometimes used cement blocks and instruction sets in his work. These aspects have inspired my process. In addition, I am also exploring the physicality of the labor involved in the overall process. In communities of color these blocks often denote blight or decay. I’m interested in taking these objects and reimagining their possibilities in a collaborative way. I investigate with architects, industrial designers, and other artists.”
About the Artists
Yvonne Shortt
https://socratessculpturepark.org/wp-content/uploads/artist//IMG_7818-WorkshopOfShortt-Studio-300×300.jpg” alt=”Course hair. Loose fitting shirt. Wide face. Glasses.
Image by Richard West.
Ms. Shortt is a social practice installation artist. The pieces she creates come from what she’s feeling living as an African American woman in her community. The pieces question privilege, disability, race, equality. Ultimately, she creates dialogue, and action
Ms. Shortt’s current series African American Marbleization: An Act of Civil Disobedience is about celebrating people of color, their culture, and the objects they use. The pieces are either fired in a kiln to create porcelain or cast in Marble Dust. Sometimes Ms. Shortt incorporates other materials such as wood or steel. The clay she uses is sometimes harvested from creeks in her community and fired in a pit. She’s interested in texture, tactility, and process.
Ms. Shortt is currently working on pieces for Queens College, Marymount Manhattan College, Myers House, ArtLot, The Norwalk Art Space, Ely Center of Contemporary Art, NYC Parks, and several other outdoor locations around NYC. She is also curating several sculpture gardens, designing and installing conversation spaces, and building a boat, to sail the Hudson River, to harvest clay and share narratives. Her philosophy- Seize your opportunity!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yvonne_shortt/