Jesse Lott facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jesse Lott
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Lott (right) with Linda Shearer (left) at Project Row Houses on December 17, 2014
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| Born | 1943 Simmesport, Louisiana, U.S.
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| Died | July 24, 2023 (aged 79–80) Houston, Texas, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | Hampton Institute California State University Otis Art Institute |
| Known for | Sculpture Collage Drawing |
| Movement | Black Arts Movement Urban Frontier Art |
Jesse Lott (1943 – July 24, 2023) was an American artist. He was famous for making sculptures from wire and wood. He also created figures from papier mâché and collages from things he found. He called his special art style "urban frontier art."
Contents
Jesse Lott's Early Life and Learning
Jesse Lott was born in Simmesport, Louisiana, in 1943. He was African American. In the 1950s, his family moved to Houston, Texas. They settled in a neighborhood called Fifth Ward.
When Jesse was 14, he sold his first painting. He said this was the start of his art career. Back then, things were different. Black people could only visit Houston's Fine Arts Museum on one special day each week. Art galleries usually did not let them in. It was very rare for art by black artists to be shown.
Mentors and Art Schools
A famous mural painter named John T. Biggers was an early teacher for Jesse. Biggers was the head of the art department at Texas Southern University. After a trip to Africa, he visited high schools, including Jesse's. He talked about art and the important role of black artists. Biggers taught that African American artists should look to Africa for ideas, not just Europe.
Because of Biggers' advice, Jesse went to Hampton Institute, a historically black college. He studied there in 1963 and 1964. Then, he moved to California State University in 1965. Later, he went to Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles from 1967 to 1969. There, Charles White, a social realist artist, was his drawing teacher.
Jesse joined the Black Arts Movement. This was a group of artists who made art with strong messages. They included Charles White, David Hammons, and Joe Overstreet. Jesse was good at painting and drawing. But he soon found his true talent: turning "trash" into amazing art. He also used his art to help his community.
An author named Pete Gershon wrote about Jesse's work. He said Jesse's art helped build the community. Jesse would often hire kids to help him take apart old things, like bedsprings. He said, "There's one kid that didn't become a juvenile delinquent that day..." This shows how his art helped young people.
Jesse Lott's Art Career
In 1974, Jesse Lott moved back to Houston's Fifth Ward. In 1977, Robinson Galleries held a big show of his art. It was called Relics of the Future. This was Jesse's first large solo show. It had 40 artworks, including sculptures and paintings. The gallery also made a catalog for the show. They had a second show, Relics of the Future, Part Two, the next year.
In 1979, one of Jesse's sculptures was in a show called Fire. It was a 9-foot tall, 200-pound sculpture made of wire and rebar. It was called Zoroastera: Fire Spitter. An important art editor, Lucy Lippard, wrote about the show. Her review helped bring attention to Texas artists across the country.
Jesse Lott had many solo shows and group exhibits after that. Many of these shows focused on African American artists. Jesse saw these shows as a way to recognize the country's racial differences. Some big touring exhibits that showed his work included Next Generation: Southern Black Aesthetics and Stop Asking, We Exist: 25 African American Crafts Artists. His solo show, Jesse Lott: Urban Frontier Artist, was shown at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Washington D.C. and the Art Car Museum in Houston. His art was also shown at The Studio Museum in Harlem.
The Artist's Role
Jesse Lott believed artists have a special job. He said, "Artists are entrusted with a metaphysical vision." He meant that artists have a deep way of seeing the world. He also said, "A picture is worth a thousand words." This means artists can share many ideas through their work. He believed art could change how people think and act, leading to good changes.
Jesse Lott was also a very important person in Houston's art community. Many Texas artists, like Rick Lowe and James Surls, said Jesse was a big influence on them. A friend, Jim Harithas, wrote that Jesse was respected for his art's "mojo power." He was also admired for helping people in need, like the homeless and older people.
Jesse held art workshops for all ages in his studio. These workshops helped many students who might not have had a chance to learn about art. He also helped start other art groups and museums. His ideas about community art helped create the famous Project Row Houses.
Urban Frontier Art Style
Jesse Lott had a special way of making art. He called it "urban folk art" at first, then "urban frontier art." He based his art on four main ideas:
- Everything exists: All things that are real are the best proof of themselves.
- Opposites exist: Everything that is real has an opposite.
- Activity is key: The final result of any process is just activity and knowing about it.
- Order in the universe: There is a basic order in nature and the world around us.
He believed that when artists in the city used these ideas, they could create art that fit their environment. His art combined things found in the city with his skills as an artist. He also added the feeling of "primitive" art, which means art that is simple and powerful.
Using Found Materials
A special part of Jesse Lott's art was using materials he found. He realized that art supplies were very expensive. This made it hard for artists who didn't have much money. But he also saw that there were many discarded things in the city. These "urban castoffs" were free for artists to use.
Jesse used things like:
- Wire
- Broken glass
- Tree roots and branches
- Scraps of old jewelry
- Furniture legs
- Metal bed frames and springs
- Discarded paper
He used these items in his sculptures. He said this way of making art was "political." He explained that turning trash into a beautiful sculpture was a political act. He said rich people don't have time to look through garbage. But if a mother turns cereal boxes into paper dolls to sell, she is creating a new way to make money. He believed art could help solve money problems.
The El Piñatero Method
Jesse Lott also used a low-cost art technique called the El Piñatero Method. It's like making a piñata. He would layer papier mâché over frameworks. Sometimes he used discarded objects inside. This created human, animal, and other shapes.
Instead of wire frames, he started with paper or cardboard cones for the main shape. He added more cones for arms and legs. Then, he layered all kinds of paper on top to build the figures. These figures could be from 3 inches to 10 feet tall!
Project Row Houses
Jesse Lott was very important in starting Project Row Houses (PRH). This is a special project in Houston's Third Ward. It helps improve the community. In 1993, a group of black artists, led by Rick Lowe, bought 22 old "shotgun houses." These houses were built in the 1930s.
Seven of these buildings became an art center. It shows new art by African American artists. Five houses are homes for single mothers and their children. One house is the PRH office and a community meeting place.
Project Row Houses focuses on five main ideas:
- Art and creativity
- Education
- Helping the community
- Good architecture
- Making the community strong financially
There is an exhibit about Project Row Houses at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Awards and Recognition
In 2016, Art League Houston gave Jesse Lott the Lifetime Achievement Award in Visual Arts. This award honored his long and important career.
The art show that went with the award had over 30 of his pieces. It showed his sculptures, drawings, and collages. It highlighted the paper, wire, and wood he used. The show also included art by his students and people he worked with. This showed how much he influenced others as a teacher and mentor.
While this show was happening, Jesse Lott also had art in three other places in Houston.
Jesse Lott: Art and Activism
A 28-minute movie about Jesse Lott was released in 2017. It is called Jesse Lott: Art & Activism. Students from the 14 Pews Film Academy made it. The movie won many awards, including Best Short Documentary at the International Black Film Festival.
The film follows Jesse as he gets ready for his 2016 Art League exhibit. It shows him receiving his lifetime achievement award from his friend, artist Mel Chin. The movie also includes old video clips of Jesse Lott that had never been seen before.
Selected Art Shows
Jesse Lott's art was shown in many places. Here are some of his solo shows:
- 2016, Jesse Lott: Artist in Action, Art League Houston, Houston Texas
- 2004, Jesse Lott Retrospective, New Braunfels Museum of Art & Music, New Braunfels, Texas
- 1999, Jesse Lott: Urban Frontier Artist, Art Car Museum, Houston, Texas
- 1998, Jesse Lott: Urban Frontier Artist, Museum of Contemporary Art, Washington D.C.
- 1997, Hello Again, Oakland Museum of Art, Oakland, California
- 1995, Project Row Houses, Houston, Texas
- 1991, Lone Star Visions: Jesse Lott, Art Museum of Southwest Texas, Beaumont, Texas
- 1991, Relics of the Future, Part Four: Evolution of Imagery, Midtown Art Center, Houston, Texas
- 1989, Jesse Lott: The Pinatero Method, Lawndale Art and Performance Center, Houston, Texas
- 1987, Jesse Lott, Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, Texas
- 1982, Tower of Light, Houston Festival, Houston, Texas
- 1978, Relics of the Future, Part Two, Robinson Galleries, Houston, Texas
- 1977, Relics of the Future, Part One, Robinson Galleries, Houston, Texas
He also participated in many group shows with other artists.
Art in Public Spaces
You can find Jesse Lott's art in several public places in Houston.
In 2013, he was one of 22 artists chosen to create sculptures for the METRORail train system. Jesse's sculpture is made of stainless steel and other metals. It shows a figure with its arms in the air. It was first called The Spirit of Transport. But the community renamed it Hands Up, Don't Shoot! You can see it on the Purple Line at Scott St. and Elgin St.
In the same year, he created a painting for a citywide art project. It was a tribute to another Houston artist, Bert Long.
In 2010, Hermann Park asked him to make a public art piece for Lake Plaza. He put art objects and materials he found around the city into the plaza's walkways.
Jesse Lott's Personal Life
Jesse Lott was a very private person. He was known to have at least two children. His son, Vida, often helped him in his studio and home in Fifth Ward.
Images for kids
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Lott (right) with Linda Shearer (left) at Project Row Houses on December 17, 2014
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Project Row Houses studios
