Gerald Clarke (artist) facts for kids

Gerald Clarke (born February 24, 1967) is a talented artist. He creates sculptures, installation art, and conceptual art. Gerald Clarke is a member of the Cahuilla Band of Mission Indians. His artwork often explores important topics. These include current issues in Native America 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 were Carol and Gerald Clarke Sr.

Before college, Clarke worked as a welder. He later married Stacy Brown. In 1991, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He studied painting and sculpture at the University of Central Arkansas. He then completed a Master of Arts degree in 1994. This was at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Life Today

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

His Art Journey

What Inspires His Art

Gerald Clarke has been making art for over thirty years. He likes to use many different types of art. He chooses the best way to show his ideas or feelings. He wants his art to connect with people.

At first, he wanted to teach non-Native viewers 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 spoke to more people.

Clarke grew up with traditional Cahuilla beliefs. He feels it is important to share his view of the world. He shows the common humanity we all share. He says he doesn't just make "Native American art." Instead, he expresses his Cahuilla perspective. He shares his passion, pain, and respect as a modern Cahuilla person.

Traditional Influences

Basketry is a very old art form for the Cahuilla people. It is a tradition in Clarke's family and community. Even though his art uses different materials, he sees his process as similar. He "gathers" materials and puts them together. This is like how Cahuilla basket makers gather natural items. They then create something useful and beautiful.

Important Artworks and Themes

Clarke's art often has a political message. It looks at past and present issues. These include topics in Indian Country, California, and the United States. He also explores events in his own life.

He believes that art helps him understand himself. It also helps him understand his community and the world.

Modern Native America

In 1996, Clarke created a piece called Artifacts. It featured four shovels leaning against a wall. The handles were wrapped in colored ribbons. These colors (black, green, red, and yellow) are important to the American Indian community. Writing in black marker went around the handles. Each shovel had a photograph of one of his aunts or his father. A cattle brand, like those from his family ranch, was welded into each shovel blade. With Artifacts, Clarke wanted to show how we can look at the past. This helps us understand Native Americans in the world today.

In 2009, Clarke had a show called "One Tract Mind." It explored how tract housing affects Native communities in Southern California. In this show, he used digital art and other mixed media. He looked at issues like water rights and protecting sacred sites. He also showed how Native communities opposed the spread of suburbia.

Road Signs

Myaamionki at the Eiteljorg Museum

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

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

The community liked these signs. But over time, they disappeared. Vandals or collectors took them. Clarke wanted to remind his tribal members of their value.

In 2007, Clarke received an Eiteljorg Fellowship. This was from the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. For this, he created three signs for the Miami people. He worked with Miami artist and historian Scott Shoemaker. These three artworks were placed on the museum grounds in Indiana. They are still there today:

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

Looking at the Wider World

Clarke also examines issues in the United States and beyond. His video and installation artwork Task (2002 and 2007) shows him "ironing out the wrinkles that plague our world." He created this after the September 11, 2001 attacks. He saw it as a way to heal. This event made him wonder about the future for his children. He believes that creating art and having freedom of speech are important for healing during tough times.

Native American Art and Authenticity

The idea of authenticity is often discussed in the Native American art market. Clarke created two works to explore this topic. These were To the Discriminating Collector (2002) and Branded (2006). Both connect to his family's cattle ranch.

He made a branding iron that spelled "INDIAN." To the Discriminating Collector targets collectors who decide what is "Indian" art. They might "brand" books, clothes, films, or objects as "Indian." He then used the branding iron to burn the word onto a white sheet of paper. This simple artwork questions why some collectors don't see modern conceptual art by Native artists as "authentic." Many collectors prefer traditional art forms.

Clarke also uses performance art and other conceptual installations. These works examine Indian markets across the country. Non-Native people often seek guidance from Native Americans. This includes writers and religious figures. Clarke's 1998 installation Indian Wisdom and Manifest Destiny features two gumball machines. One, Manifest Destiny, is covered in fabric with the flag of the United States and a cowboy hat. The other, Indian Wisdom, has fabric like Southwestern Indian blankets. It shows a picture of Clarke with "Indian Wisdom" written on it. The gumball machines contain dollar bills, but for 25 cents, you get a printout with political statements.

Performance pieces like Extreme Makeover and Antiques Road Show also explore these ideas. Clarke questions Native American stereotypes. He looks at how Europeans tried to "whiten" Native peoples. He also explores what it means to be a "real Indian."

Where to See His Art

Gerald Clarke's art is in many museum collections:

• 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 Honors

• Eiteljorg Fellowship for Native American Fine Art, 2007, 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