Creativity came naturally to Gerald Clarke Jr., an artist who originally belonged to the Cahuilla Band of Indians and grew up on a cattle ranch on the Cahuilla reservation near Anza in Riverside County.
“When you grow up dirt poor and you got nothing, you make do with a lot of stuff,” Clarke said. “We used to build our own bike ramps and forts. I see that as my early excursions into sculpture.”
Clarke's choice of art was also shaped by his education. The Californian artist, who has a bachelor's degree from the University of Central Arkansas and a master of fine arts degree from Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, is currently an assistant professor of ethnic studies at University of California, Riverside. He also served in the visual arts department of the Idyllwild Arts Academy.
Clarke has designed his brilliant “Basket” series from used aluminium beverage cans. He creates stunning sculptures by crushing and coiling aluminium soda and beer cans together. According to Clarke his “Basket” series celebrates the essence of the centuries-old Cahuilla basket-making tradition. The sculpture also offers a discreet message on the issues like alcoholism and diabetes which are affecting the lives of by modern-day tribal members.
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The Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles has commissioned Clarke to create a six-foot-diameter beer-can basket for its vast "California Continued” project. The huge arty project spans two new galleries and an ethnobotanical garden. According to the museum, the piece, "Continuum Basket: Flora" “comments on how development, technology, and industry impinge on desert lands.”
Gerald Clarke also designed a digital collage called "One Tract Mind: Baskets" which pairs images of Native American baskets with photos of tract housing.
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