Alison Saar
Encyclopedia
Alison Saar is an American artist who was born in Los Angeles, California and grew up in Laurel Canyon, California. Her parents were Betye Saar
, a well-known African American artist, and Richard Saar, an art conservationist. Both parents encouraged their three daughters, all artists, to look at a wide range of art. They were given books on art and were taken to area museums. They also saw Outsider Art
, such as Simon Rodia's
Watts Towers
in Los Angeles and Grandma Prisbrey's Bottle Village
in Simi Valley. During high school, Alison began assisting her father in his restoration work. Dealing with artifacts from different cultures―Chinese frescoes, Egyptian mummies, and Pre-Columbian and African art―taught Alison about properties of various materials, techniques, and aesthetics. She received a BA from Scripps College
(Claremont, CA) in 1978, having studied African and Caribbean art with Dr. Samella Lewis
. Saar’s thesis was on Southern African-American folk art. She received an MFA from Otis Art Institute, now known as Otis College of Art and Design (Los Angeles, CA) in 1981.
Her work has been exhibited internationally with key exhibitions at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History
, L.A. Louver Gallery, Phyllis Kind Gallery in New York City, and Pasadena Museum of California Art
. She was an artist in residence at Dartmouth College
.
Her sculptures and installations explore themes of African cultural diaspora and spirituality, and her studies of Latin American, Caribbean and African art and religion have informed her work. Saar’s fascination with vernacular folk art and ability to build an oasis of beauty from cast-off objects are evident in her sculptures and paintings. Saar’s highly personal, often life-sized sculptures are marked by their emotional candor, and by contrasting materials and messages that imbue her work with a high degree of cultural subtext.
Art critic Rebecca Epstein writes, “Marrying soft with severe is the installation ‘Suckle’: 15 hanging cast bronze skillets if varying size, with an ample female breast emerging out of each pan bottom. Engaging the material via cooking, nurturing, and sex, the piece is literal but also ironic and iconic, its inherent grace stopping it miles short of cliché.”
“Saar juggles themes of personal and cultural identity as she fashions various sizes of female bodies (often her own) that are buoyant with story while solid in stance. [Her works often embody a] balance of strength and tenderness, in form and idea.”
, an Artist Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts
, and a City of Los Angeles (C.O.L.A.) Artist Fellowship.
Betye Saar
Betye Irene Saar is an American artist, known for her work in the field of assemblage. Her education included a time at the University of California, Los Angeles, from where she received a degree in design in 1949, and graduate studies in printmaking and education at Pasadena City College,...
, a well-known African American artist, and Richard Saar, an art conservationist. Both parents encouraged their three daughters, all artists, to look at a wide range of art. They were given books on art and were taken to area museums. They also saw Outsider Art
Outsider Art
The term outsider art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art brut , a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane-asylum inmates.While...
, such as Simon Rodia's
Simon Rodia
Sabato "Simon" Rodia was an Italian-American architect. Rodia created the Watts Towers, one of the most famous landmarks in Los Angeles.-Biography:...
Watts Towers
Watts Towers
The Watts Towers or Towers of Simon Rodia in the Watts district of Los Angeles, California, is a collection of 17 interconnected structures, two of which reach heights of over 99 feet . The Towers were built by Italian immigrant construction worker Sabato Rodia in his spare time over a period of...
in Los Angeles and Grandma Prisbrey's Bottle Village
Grandma Prisbrey's Bottle Village
Grandma Prisbrey's Bottle Village, also known as Bottle Village, is a folk art piece, located in Simi Valley, California.This assemblage is one of California's Twentieth Century Folk Art Environments...
in Simi Valley. During high school, Alison began assisting her father in his restoration work. Dealing with artifacts from different cultures―Chinese frescoes, Egyptian mummies, and Pre-Columbian and African art―taught Alison about properties of various materials, techniques, and aesthetics. She received a BA from Scripps College
Scripps College
Scripps College is a progressive liberal arts women's college in Claremont, California, United States. It is a member of the Claremont Colleges. Scripps ranks 3rd for the nation's best women's college, ahead of Barnard College, Mount Holyoke College, and Bryn Mawr College at 23rd on the list for...
(Claremont, CA) in 1978, having studied African and Caribbean art with Dr. Samella Lewis
Samella Lewis
Samella Sanders Lewis is an African American artist , author, and former educator. Widely exhibited and collected as an artist herself, she is nevertheless perhaps even better known as a historian, critic, and collector of art, especially African-American art...
. Saar’s thesis was on Southern African-American folk art. She received an MFA from Otis Art Institute, now known as Otis College of Art and Design (Los Angeles, CA) in 1981.
Her work has been exhibited internationally with key exhibitions at the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History
UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History
The Fowler Museum at UCLA or more commonly, The Fowler is a museum on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles which explores art and material culture primarily from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the Americas, past and present...
, L.A. Louver Gallery, Phyllis Kind Gallery in New York City, and Pasadena Museum of California Art
Pasadena Museum of California Art
The Pasadena Museum of California Art is an art museum located in Pasadena, California, USA, showcasing art and design that originates from California. The museum was founded by long-time Pasadena residents and art collectors Robert and Arlene Oltman...
. She was an artist in residence at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
.
Her sculptures and installations explore themes of African cultural diaspora and spirituality, and her studies of Latin American, Caribbean and African art and religion have informed her work. Saar’s fascination with vernacular folk art and ability to build an oasis of beauty from cast-off objects are evident in her sculptures and paintings. Saar’s highly personal, often life-sized sculptures are marked by their emotional candor, and by contrasting materials and messages that imbue her work with a high degree of cultural subtext.
Art critic Rebecca Epstein writes, “Marrying soft with severe is the installation ‘Suckle’: 15 hanging cast bronze skillets if varying size, with an ample female breast emerging out of each pan bottom. Engaging the material via cooking, nurturing, and sex, the piece is literal but also ironic and iconic, its inherent grace stopping it miles short of cliché.”
“Saar juggles themes of personal and cultural identity as she fashions various sizes of female bodies (often her own) that are buoyant with story while solid in stance. [Her works often embody a] balance of strength and tenderness, in form and idea.”
Awards
Saar is a recipient of a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial FoundationJohn Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
, an Artist Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
, and a City of Los Angeles (C.O.L.A.) Artist Fellowship.