Betye Saar
On May 2nd, the Hammer Museum at UCLA welcomed cultural leaders, artists, collectors, and patrons of the arts at the 21st annual Gala in the Garden. During the evening, trailblazing artist Betye Saar was honored for her profound contributions to society through her work, in front of industry peers, patrons, and her loving and supportive family members. Ultimately, the Gala raised $2 million to support the museum’s dynamic, internationally acclaimed exhibitions and public programs, which are free for all visitors year-round.
Renowned visual artist, Saar was born in 1926 in Los Angeles, and became a pioneer of second-wave feminist and postwar black nationalist aesthetic, given her iconic reclamation of the Aunt Jemima figure in works such as The Liberation of Aunt Jemima (1972), inspired by the civil rights movement, and reclaims the "mammy" stereotype, transforming her into a revolutionary figure armed for liberation. The mixed-media assemblage was created in response to Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and is credited with influencing the Black women’s movement.
Saar says she has enjoyed the challenge of leveraging unique materials to craft intentional art over the years. “I became an assemblage artist after seeing an exhibition of Joseph Cornell’s art in Pasadena in 1967. I thought, 'Wow, he’s put together all this kind of junk in a way and made it look beautiful and magical.’ That really struck me hard because, as a kid, I was always collecting things. Picking up stuff I’d find on the street. I still like making assemblage art because I enjoy finding things and putting them together. There’s a challenge of using non-art materials to make art,” she said to me during our interview before the Gala in the Garden event.
Before transitioning to assemblage and installation, she had a formidable career in design. Saar also studied printmaking, as her earliest works are on paper. Her prints center spirituality, cosmology, and family, as in Anticipation (1961) and Lo, The Mystique City (1965). She’s won notable awards for her transformative artistic work and community activism throughout the years, including six honorary doctorates, two National Endowment for the Arts Awards, the W.E.B. Du Bois Award (2022), and the Wolfgang Hahn Prize (2022).
As a known pioneer of assemblage art, work has been showcased at major institutions worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Whitney Museum of American Art, LACMA, and the Hammer Museum.
Saar’s work is currently on display at the Hammer Museum. The museum acquired Memory of Fire, Saar’s first assemblage in the Hammer collection this year, as part of the exhibit Space is the Place, Erin Christovale, curator at the Hammer Museum and of Space is the Place, spoke to me about the importance and groundbreaking nature of Saar’s work at their annual Gala. “We were really excited to acquire Memory of Fire, which is the incredible installation that's part of what’s happening here. I think it incorporates so much of what Betye does from the origins of poetry, to experimenting with silk to bind objects,” she said.
Christovale spoke to Saar’s continued dedication to her craft, even at 99. “It’s already a feat to make it to 99 years old. But what's even more incredible is that Betye is still very much a working artist. She’s in the studio every day, using her mind to create new work. I think that's the greatest gift of all, to be an artist at that level, at that age, and with wisdom, and to get up and create every day,” she stated.
According to Saar, raw materials continue to inspire her creativity at this stage of her career and life. “Materials still inspire me. I still go to swap meets, garage sales, and estate sales. I buy old things that strike me. Unique things. Sometimes I pick something up and feel it has a power, like the spirit of the person who used it. I have an artwork at LACMA right now, with an old wooden ironing board. It has a history of being used for labor, but it has also transformed things, from wrinkled shirts or things to making them smooth and flat. The ironing board’s shape reminded me of a boat. So, on its surface, I have an image of a slave ship diagram and the inhuman ways that enslaved people were literally packed into the ship. I’ve transformed the ironing board’s purpose to contain a social message, to give it a new meaning,” she shared.
Although Saar was surrounded by influential figures in the arts, who were gleefully willing to celebrate her, she made it clear to me that she doesn’t seek validation or attention. “As an artist, I don’t necessarily seek attention. I like making art for myself, and if it connects with people, that’s always a plus. I’m honored that the Hammer Museum feels my artistic career has made that connection,” she stated. “Through my art, I feel like I’ve been telling the story of my life. Of being a woman, being Black, and being an artist. Being any of those three things isn’t easy these days. I’m fortunate that I’m still able to do what I love to do.”
Speaking to Saar about her incredible legacy as a pioneering artist, Sandra Jackson-Dumont said, “You have given us language where there was silence, beauty where there was erasure, and possibility where there was constraint. You have shown us that art can hold the past and the future in the same moment. You have shown us that the ordinary is never ordinary if you stretch your mind to see. You have shown us that truth, when spoken through the right hand of an artist like you, can change everything.”
Met with thunderous applause and a standing ovation, Saar thanked guests for joining her at the Gala, saying, “By you being here, it encourages a lot of other people who are not here to love art, to use art, and to know how important art is in our lives.” She went on to share her secret to living a long life as she approaches her 100th birthday: a good diet, nature, and being a California girl.
While she’s influenced generations of artists, she doesn’t often think about the impact of her art. “I don’t really think about the impact of my art. But I’m pleased to know that my work touches people; they might be a student, an artist, or just someone who likes art. I know my artwork, The Liberation of Aunt Jemima, is in college textbooks. Some of my grandkids let me know when their teacher talks about me in their art classes or women’s studies class. It’s nice if I inspire people to be creative, to go and make something of their own,” she shared.
Instead of focusing outward on the perceived impact of their work, she’s encouraging artists to be aware of how they shape conversations about culture and social change today. “I think it’s important to be aware. I watch the news every night to stay up to date. Things are crazy right now, and that can be an influence on making art. Way back, the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr really turned my head and motivated me to create art to express my political viewpoint. With The Liberation of Aunt Jemima, she was a servant, and I transformed her into an armed, ready warrior to battle racism. Unfortunately, some fifty years later, she is still at it. She’s still trying to bring about change,” she said.
Now, as she’s approaching her 100th birthday, Saar is further cementing her legacy. “I know I’ll be leaving behind a lot of stuff in my studio! But over the years, I’ve worked with many curators and people who have supported my art career and become my friends. We’ve formed the Betye Saar Legacy Group, which brings all of their expertise and insight together for future projects over the coming years,” Saar said. “My advice to younger artists who are trying to build lasting careers is to be creative and express yourself. It doesn’t matter what you are trying to say. I think being creative gives meaning to life.”
Saar hopes to influence future artists’ approach to art positively. “I would want people to think about my art and how you can make art out of anything. It frees the word ‘art.’ That art materials are unlimited. And making art is limitless,” she shared.