Gerald Clarke (artist) facts for kids

Gerald Clarke (born February 24, 1967) is a talented artist. He creates sculptures, art installations, and conceptual art. He is a member of the Cahuilla Band of Mission Indians. His artwork often explores important topics about Native American communities and the United States. He also shares parts of his own life through his art.

About Gerald Clarke

Early Life and Education

Gerald Clarke was born in Hemet, California, in 1967. His parents are Carol and Gerald Clarke Sr. Before becoming a full-time artist, he worked as a welder.

He went to college and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in painting and sculpture in 1991 from the University of Central Arkansas. Later, he received a Master of Arts degree in 1994 from Stephen F. Austin State University.

Current Life and Work

Today, Gerald Clarke continues to create his unique artworks. He also teaches art at Idyllwild Arts Academy. In addition, he is a professor at the University of California, Riverside. He runs a storage business with his wife, Stacy.

Gerald Clarke's Art Career

What Inspires His Art?

Gerald Clarke has been making art for over thirty years. He likes to use different types of art, like painting, sculpture, or installations. He chooses whatever way he thinks will best show his ideas or feelings.

He believes art should connect with people. At first, he wanted to teach non-Native people about modern Native culture. But he realized he also needed to connect with his own Cahuilla community. He found that when his art was more personal, it became meaningful to more people.

Clarke grew up with traditional Cahuilla understandings of the world. He feels it is important to share his view and the common things we all share as humans. He says he doesn't just make "Native American art." Instead, he expresses his Cahuilla perspective as a person living in the 21st century. He shares the passion, challenges, and respect he feels as a modern Cahuilla person.

Traditional Cahuilla Influences

The Cahuilla people have a long history of making beautiful baskets. This art form is important to Clarke's family and community. Even though he doesn't use the same materials, he sees his art-making process as similar to basket weaving. He explains that Cahuilla basket makers gather materials and then put them together to create something useful and beautiful. He feels he does the same: he gathers ideas and materials and combines them in his art.

Major Artworks and Themes

Gerald Clarke's art often explores political ideas. He thinks about current and past issues in Indian Country, California, and the United States. He also reflects on his own life experiences. He believes that through art, he can better understand himself, his community, and the world.

Exploring Contemporary Native America

In 1996, Clarke created a piece called Artifacts. It featured four shovels leaning against a wall. The handles were wrapped in black, green, red, and yellow ribbons. These colors are important to the American Indian Movement. Each shovel had writing on it and a photograph of one of his family members. A cattle brand, like those from his family's ranch, was welded into each shovel blade. With Artifacts, Clarke wanted to show how we can look into the past to understand Native Americans today.

In 2009, Clarke had a show called "One Tract Mind." This show explored how tract housing (many similar houses built together) affects Native communities in Southern California. He used digital art and other mixed media to discuss topics like water rights and protecting sacred sites. He also showed how Native communities opposed the spread of suburbia.

Road Signs Project

Myaamionki at the Eiteljorg Museum

In 2001, Clarke began making road signs. He placed them along roads on the Cahuilla reservation and near his family's ranch. These signs displayed words in the Cahuilla language, such as:

• Nesun e' elquish - I am sad
• Nextaxmuqa - I am singing
• Kimul Hakushwe - The door is open
• Ivawen - Be strong

The community liked these signs. However, some disappeared because people took them. Clarke wanted to remind his tribal members that they are important.

In 2007, Clarke received an award called the Eiteljorg Fellowship. He then created three signs for the Miami people, working with Miami artist Scott Shoemaker. These signs are now at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indiana:

• Myaamionki - Place of the Miami
• Oonseentia - Yellow poplar tree
• Seekaahkwiaanki - We held on to the tree limbs

Art and the Wider World

Clarke's art also looks at issues beyond Native America, including the United States and the world. His video and installation artwork Task (2002 and 2007) shows him "ironing out the wrinkles that plague our world." He created this piece after the events of September 11, 2001. He described it as his own way of healing. This experience made him think about the future for his children. He believes that creating art and having freedom of speech are important for healing during difficult times.

Native American Art and Authenticity

The idea of authenticity is often discussed in the art world, especially for Native American art. Clarke created two works to explore this topic: To the Discriminating Collector (2002) and Branded (2006).

He made a branding iron that spells "INDIAN." With To the Discriminating Collector, he questioned how some collectors decide what is "Indian" art. They might "brand" books, clothing, or objects as "Indian" with their own ideas. He then used this branding iron to burn the word "INDIAN" onto a white sheet of paper. This simple act makes people think about why some collectors prefer traditional Native art over modern conceptual art.

Clarke also uses performance art and conceptual installations to examine Indian markets. Sometimes, non-Native people look to Native Americans for wisdom. In his 1998 installation Indian Wisdom and Manifest Destiny, he used two gumball machines. One, called Manifest Destiny, was covered in fabric like the flag of the United States. The other, Indian Wisdom, looked like Southwestern Indian blankets. For 25 cents, you could get a printout with political statements. This work makes people think about how Native American wisdom is sometimes seen as a product.

Performance pieces like Extreme Makeover and Antiques Road Show challenge Native American stereotypes. They also explore the idea of what it means to be a "real Indian."

Museum Collections

Gerald Clarke's art can be found in several museums:

• Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, Riverside County, California
• Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis, Indiana
• Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona
• Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, California
• Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles, CA
• Riverside Museum, Riverside, CA
• City of Palm Desert, Palm Desert, CA

Awards and Recognition

Gerald Clarke has received many awards for his art:

• Eiteljorg Fellowship for Native American Fine Art, 2007, from the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art
• Artist Fellowship, James Phelan Fund of the San Francisco Foundation for California-Born Artists, 2016
• Harpo Foundation Artist Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT, 2016
• Mentor Artist Fellowship, Native Arts and Culture Foundation, Vancouver, WA, 2020
• Dragonfly Award, Dorothy Ramon Learning Center, Banning, CA

See also

• List of Native American artists
• Visual arts by indigenous peoples of the Americas