The Crocker Art Museum Presents Betye Saar Retrospective

Friday, 17 November 2006 09:07

Sacramento, CA – Los Angeles artist Betye Saar first emerged in the 1960s as an important artistic figure by addressing the African American experience in her work.  Throughout her long career, Saar has made art addressing contemporary issues, especially the legacy of race in America, aiming to both challenge and engage viewers.  In Betye Saar: Extending the Frozen Moment, on view at the Crocker Art Museum from January 27 – April 29, 2007, works spanning the breadth of her production reveal the development of her vision and message.

A sculptor, assemblagist and collagist, Saar has always embraced a diverse range of political, creative and spiritual influences – from the Civil Rights and feminist movements, to design, craft and a belief in personal destiny.  This exhibition pays particular attention to Saar’s use of photography, exploring the artist’s preoccupation with “the frozen moment” – the timeless vacuum of personal history – which photography represents. 

Using a range of found objects, mined from family archives or secondhand stores, Saar transforms photographs, controversial artifacts such as “black collectibles” and nostalgic bric-a-brac into artworks that stir the intellect and emotion.  For Saar, these antique prints and relics offer keys to deciphering the past and the unknown histories of the individuals portrayed in the photographs she uses.

More than commentaries on the past, however, Saar’s works encourage and invite discussion.  In posing questions, not answers, viewers are welcome to read meaning into the work based on their personal experience.  Ultimately, Saar’s sculptures and collages are essays on universal themes of longing and loss, the passage of time and the bonds between lovers, friends and family members, making her work relevant across generations.  Crocker the only West Coast venue for retrospective of artist’s work.

The Crocker Art Museum was founded in 1885 and continues as the leading art institution for the California Capital Region and Central Valley.  The Museum offers a diverse spectrum of special exhibitions, events and programs to augment its collections of Californian, European and Asian artworks.  The Crocker is located at 216 O Street in downtown Sacramento. For more information on exhibits and events visit : www.crockerartmuseum.org