Artist Sonya Clark weaves tales with textiles, hair at CAFAM
MORE: Oscars 2014: Idina Menzel sings Oscar-winning ‘Let It Go’ from ‘Frozen’
Idina Menzel replaced by ‘Adele Dazeem’ in ‘If/Then’ playbill joke
Adele Dazeem (Idina Menzel) saluted at ‘The Book of Mormon’ (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Orlando Bloom, Joe Morton brighten TchaikovskyFest at Disney Hall
REVIEW: Tchaikovsky on a grand scale (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: Barry Manilow’s ‘Harmony’ musical can sing but needs work (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Carlos Almaraz’s time is coming, nearly 30 years after death (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Hollywood’s Theatre Row sees exits stage right, left as scene changes
INTERACTIVE: Hollywood’s Theatre Row (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
More: Grammys 2014: Lang Lang performs ‘One’ with Metallica (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Review: Christopher Plummer, a man of letters, says ‘A Word or Two’ (Doriane Raiman / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: A poet embedded among troops lives to tell ‘An Iliad’ (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: New MOCA director Philippe Vergne is a museum veteran
New MOCA director Philippe Vergne plans an artist-enabling museum (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: A ‘Beautiful’ tapestry of Carole King’s life (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: L.A. Phil, Dudamel reinvigorate Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker’ (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: Lively ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ make us believers again
MORE: Baddie role in ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ hooked John Sanders (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Totem’ a thrilling salute to human growth (Christina House / For the Times)
REVIEW: Time has overtaken ‘The Sunshine Boys’ (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: ‘Chicago’ storms into the Hollywood Bowl (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: ‘Marriage of Figaro’ a wedding of many talents (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: With ‘Tosca,’ Los Angeles Opera goes for grand (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: The collateral damage of genius in Boris Eifman’s ‘Rodin’ (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: ‘The Royale’ punches well but has character issues (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: L.A. Dance Festival returns to boost homegrown dance (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: Sensual energy crackles in Alvin Ailey dance program (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: Aaron Copland as a hinge (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: ‘American Buffalo’ at Geffen a refreshing dose of Mamet (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: Flashes of lightning in Trisha Brown’s ‘Astral Converted’ (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: A new Cinderella at Los Angeles Opera makes an impression (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: Ethical quandaries buzz in ‘The Nether’ (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: L.A. Opera’s ‘Flying Dutchman’ back in action (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: For David Henry Hwang’s ‘Chinglish,’ a case of bad timing in China (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Clive Davis’ next role: Broadway producer of a new ‘My Fair Lady’ (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: The usually inventive BBC Concert Orchestra goes retro (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra violinist has a date with a Stradivarius (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: Elevator Repair Service’s ‘Gatz’ a rewarding marathon | Elevator Repair Service takes on the great ‘Gatz’ | Marathon plays stand the test of time (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: Trey McIntyre Project dances are both slight and potent | Trey McIntyre Project brings ‘Ways of Seeing’ to Segerstrom (Luis Cinco / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: Esa-Pekka Salonen and an electrifying L.A. Philharmonic | Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to L.A. with murder in mind (Matthew Lloyd / For The Times)
REVIEW: Esa-Pekka Salonen and an electrifying L.A. Philharmonic | Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to L.A. with murder in mind (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: How David Lang’s ‘love fail’ succeeds sublimely (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: Bolshoi’s ‘Lake’ is sometimes choppy, sometimes smooth | Photos (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Glorya Kaufman gives USC millions to build a dance school (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Benjamin Millepied gets moving in Los Angeles | Photos | Review (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: Barbra Streisand puts the Hollywood Bowl under her spell (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: Desire and sexual politics whirl among ‘Them’ (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: Two ways to capture magic of ‘The Tempest’ | Photos (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: Barbara Cook rejuvenates song standards (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, Lynn Harrell at Disney Hall (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: Some bright spots in a lesser ‘Madame Butterfly’ | Photos (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Opera’s ever-inquisitive Eric Owens is in high demand (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)
Critic’s Notebook: The joys and challenges of the L.A. small-theater scene (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Christopher Hawthorne’s On the Boulevards Project (Luis Cinco / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: George Takei builds on legacy with ‘Allegiance’ at the Old Globe (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Emily Mann a natural to direct ‘Streetcar’ and ‘The Convert’ (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: Lackluster Expo Line reflects Metro’s weak grasp of design (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: James Corden, ‘One Man’ and a plethora of talent (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Llyn Foulkes’ art of raw emotion (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Mickalene Thomas, up close and very personal (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: “Follies” is a source of heartache and razzmatazz (Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Will downtown L.A.’s Grand Park succeed? | Photos (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Artist Xavier Veilhan casts Richard Neutra’s VDL House in a new light (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
REVIEW: A blazing “Red” with Alfred Molina as Mark Rothko (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Lynn Nottage wants “Vera Stark” to be a conversation starter (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: In the Studio: Ben Jackel uses broad ax strokes (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Review: “War Horse” at Ahmanson Theatre is a marvel of stagecraft | Photos (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
More: A pop choreographer with a busy schedule (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)
More: Hammer biennial lends artists a helping hand (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)
More: Plácido Domingo leads an uptempo life (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
More: In the moment with Cate Blanchett (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
More: Yuja Wang turns heads at the Hollywood Bowl with a purple gown Photos (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
More: Jesse Tyler Ferguson takes on ‘The Producers’ at the Bowl | Review | Photos (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Review: LACMA’s new hunk ‘Levitated Mass’ has some substance | Critic’s Notebook: Art on an architectural scale at LACMA (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Review: LACMA’s new hunk ‘Levitated Mass’ has some substance | Critic’s Notebook: Art on an architectural scale at LACMA (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Review: Antic ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ a scenic spectacle | More photos (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
More: Q&A: Sanaa Lathan (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
More: Los Angeles Opera takes fresh look at Verdi’s ‘The Two Foscari’ | Review (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Review: Itzhak Perlman closes Hollywood Bowl classical season (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
Review: L.A. Opera’s ‘Don Giovanni’ upholds tradition expertly | Photos (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
More: Kristin Chenoweth warms up for California concerts (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
More: Composer Andrew Norman’s imagination has taken residence (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
More: It’s no easy act for Felicity Huffman (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
More: Sophie B. Hawkins channels Janis Joplin’s spirit in ‘Room 105’ (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Review: Israel Philharmonic, rising above differences (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
More: John Hurt plays back ‘interrupted pause’ of ‘Krapp’s Last Tape’ | Review (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
More: Teatro ZinZanni sets up a tent and fills it with elegant chaos (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
More: Performance review: A down-to-Earth ‘Dirtday!’ (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)
More: Mark Z. Danielewski: The writer as needle and thread (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
More: Gustavo Dudamel’s captivating theatrics serve the music | More photos (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
MORE: Doing the numbers on LACMA’s Tim Burton show (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
“My grandmother was a tailor,” recalls Sonya Clark. “She was wonderfully strong, a little woman with a soprano voice and a shock of white hair. As long as I would sit and stitch with her, she would tell me stories about her life growing up in Jamaica.” And later, she says with a laugh, “Being a black woman growing up in the ‘70s, doing your hair is just something you do.”
Those are personal takes on how Clark got interested in using textiles — and hair — for her own method of storytelling, assemblage art. There’s also a subsequent, more professional explanation: She was inspired by college courses and teachers when she attended Amherst College and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Cranbrook Academy of Art.
The interweaving of stories is Clark’s forte. The 19 pieces in her exhibition “Sonya Clark: Material Reflex” (through Sept. 8) at the Craft and Folk Art Museum deploy techniques of embroidery, weaving and braiding with materials that include cotton thread and human hair, and objects related to apparel and grooming.
PHOTOS: Arts and culture by The Times
“There’s a real reflection on material in her work,” says Karen Derksen, curator of the show and director of the Winthrop University Galleries in South Carolina. “She really looks to the function and the symbolic aspect of material, and manipulates it in a way that transcends any traditional notions we have — like the C.J. Walker portrait where she’s created something so unexpected.”
That unexpected portrait is 11 feet tall and hangs in the museum lobby. While it appears pixelated, “Madam C J Walker” consists of more than 3,000 black pocket combs, then carefully linked by small wire rings. Teeth have been strategically removed to create lighter areas. An African American born in 1867 to former slaves, Walker created a hair and beauty products business that made her the first self-made female millionaire in the United States.
Not only did Clark find a product identified with hair care but, as usual, also something with multiple and layered associations. “These combs are made here in the U.S.,” says Clark, speaking from Richmond, Va., where she is chair of the Department of Craft/Material Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. “Also, they’re stamped ‘unbreakable,’ which makes reference to C.J. Walker as this phenomenal woman. Combs are very gendered — I associate them with men — and as a successful entrepreneur she was walking in a white man’s world.” Clark acknowledges that Walker’s reputation is also problematic: “Some blame her for popularizing the straightening of African hair.”
CRITICS’ PICKS: The best art in town
Another portrait was created using the $5 bill. Using black cotton thread, Clark stitched Abraham Lincoln with an Afro, resulting in “Afro Abe.” She made two when Barack Obama began running for president, then 42 more when he won — to commemorate the 44th president. “First, he looks much better with an Afro,” Clark says, “and secondly it’s crowning the emancipator with the hair most associated with black liberation and black power.”
More to Read
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
More From the Los Angeles Times
-
-
-
Aug. 31, 2024
-