Yvonne Shortt, Afro Pick Model Minority. Porcelain. Steel. 6'x2'x1/2'
Session 10: Black bodies; an exploration through fragments, objects, and architecture
Yvonne Shortt
Monday, May 3, 2021, 9 am EST
Webinar Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84592197420
Webinar ID: 845 9219 7420
Yvonne Shortt’s current series, African American Marbleization: An Act of Civil Disobedience, explores aspects of race and the body, drawing inspiration from the contemporary community and her experience as a woman of color. This conversation rummages through this work while discussing its inspiration and influences, including how other artists like Simone Leigh, Kara Walker, Hank Willis Thomas, and Sanford Biggers explore similar themes with a broad spectrum of outcomes. This exploration moves from the face as a vehicle for micro/macro aggression learning to the body and on to culturally significant objects for communication, and architecture for reflection.
Suggested Reading:
Theaster Gates Art 21 https://art21.org/artist/theaster-gates/
Brickhouse. Highline: https://www.thehighline.org/art/projects/simoneleigh/
Kara Walker Art 21 https://art21.org/artist/kara-walker/
Yvonne 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, action, and healing. 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. She is currently working on pieces for Queens College, Marymount College, Myers House, ArtLot, The Norwalk Art Space, NYC Parks, and several other outdoor locations. She is also curating two sculpture gardens-The Norwalk Art Space and Elmhurst Sculpture Garden.