Old and New Tour, Part Two

After discussing prehistoric pieces in the old part of the tour, we walked downstairs and viewed artworks by Theaster Gates in the new part of the tour.  The first artwork we looked at was made in 2016, so it is considered contemporary art (art made in the last 50 years).  First, we sat in the middle of the room and described the work of art below, guessing which materials the artist used: wood...brick...metal?

Dirty Red by Theaster Gates

We took a closer look and found new details. What do you notice in the close-up photo below?

Dirty Red (detail) by Theaster Gates

Theaster Gates used decommissioned fire hoses to make Dirty Red.  Some of the hoses he used appear faded, some have holes and rips, some are blank while others have writing, and some look they have dirt or smoke residue.  Gates is recognized as an artist who uses nontraditional materials in his art, particularly items that aren't given much value or are even considered trash, as is the case with these retired fire hoses.

Theaster Gates

In Dirty Red - along with many of his artworks - Gates thinks about his identity as an African American artist, and about the history of African Americans in the United States. With Dirty Red, Theaster Gates specifically refers to an important event in the civil rights movement, when the police sprayed peaceful protesters with fire hoses in Birmingham, Alabama.  Gates uses fire hoses in his artworks to honor the protesters who put themselves in personal and physical danger to fight for equal rights during the civil rights movement.

Next, we visited the artwork below and again thought about the materials Gates might have used to create it.  Gates grew up in Chicago (where he continues to live and work) with eight older sisters.  His mother was a schoolteacher, and his father was a roofer.  Gates's father retired at the age of 80 and gave his son his roofing tools.  Gates wanted to do something special to show his respect for his father's work, so he asked his father if he would make artworks together with him using the roofing tools.  The artwork below was made with rubber (the background) and tar (the dark spots).

Squirt by Theaster Gates

To finish the tour, the students wrote down something they learned from someone important in their lives - their mother, father, sibling, grandparent, etc. Below are some examples:

How to bake - from a brother and a grandma
How to cook - from a granny, a grandma, a mom, and a dad
How to play video games - from a dad
How to crochet - from a grandma
How to tie shoes - from two moms and a grandma
How to be an athlete - from a dad
How to play soccer - from a coach
How to braid hair - from a mom
How to solve a Rubik's Cube - from a brother
My manners - from a mom
"How to make her dishes that all our family loves" - from a grandmother
"To be myself, to not change who I am" - from both parents