ASSEMBLAGE

Betye Saar. Mother. Artist. Educator. Feminist. Civil Rights Activist.

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I'm never out of ideas and I think that's a good sign.

Betye Saar

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Betye Saar, Serving Time, 2010.

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Betye Saar, America, 2014. 

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Betye Saar, Rainbow Mojo, 1972. 

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There is a lot of prejudice about fabrics. When women use it, it’s feminist commentary. If men use it, it’s art. I use it to make art.

Betye Saar

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I am intrigued with combining the remnant of memories, fragments of relics and ordinary objects, with the components of technology. It's a way of delving into the past and reaching into the future simultaneously.

Betye Saar

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Betye Saar, The Phrenologer's Window, 1966.

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Betye Saar, Mystic Sky and Self Portrait, 1992. 

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I'm the kind of person who recycles materials but I also recycle emotions and feelings, and I had a great deal of anger about the segregation and the racism in this country.

Betye Saar, on The Liberation of Aunt Jemima, 1972.

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Betye Saar, Window of Ancient Sirens, 1979.

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As an artist, everything I do has this thing, assembling things, assembling plants and sculptures and lanterns rocks and so forth.

Betye Saar

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An explanation of The Liberation of Aunt Jemima, 1972. 

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Betye Saar, The Liberation of Aunt Jemima, 1972.

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Background

     The great African American artist, Betye Saar, was born in Los Angeles, California in 1926. Growing up, she regularly found various objects and fixed them together, creating her first works of art. She begun to take art classes at Pasadena City College before being able to attend the University of Los Angeles due to an organization which helped minorities afford universities (Saar). After receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1949, she went on to graduate studies in 1958 at the University of Los Angeles and various other universities. Originally, she was keen on a career in teaching design but a printing making class persuaded Saar to change her mind. In 1968, Saar saw the work of object sculptor, Joseph Cornell. This caused her to switch from creating etchings to working in assemblage (“Saar, Betye”).  

     Saar began an artistic movement of black women artist, drawing from the Civil Rights era of Martin Luther King Jr. and stereotypical images she found in the 60s (Wordpress). From her own mouth, she was a “late bloomer,” and ascertaining her start as an artist at age 46, she created an art piece that catapulted her stardom as a well-known artist. In 1972, Betye Saar exhibited “The Liberation of Aunt Jemima,” which showcased how African American women were treated like sex objects and domestic soldiers (National Public Radio). Saar went on creating works of art exhibiting the trials of African Americans and the life of women. She is the voice of feminism of her time.