OPEN SPACE

……………………………………………………………"That bottle keeps its blink on its side red from horizon." Clark Coolidge………………………………..

[SFMOMA has commissioned renowned artist Kerry James Marshall to create two murals for the museum's Haas Atrium. For over 30 years, Marshall has explored stories of racial identity, the Civil Rights movement, and unsung histories in his work. In response to Marshall's works, fifteen teens from three Oakland high schools are designing and producing a collaborative mural, in Town Park at DeFremery Park, focusing on the themes of silenced histories and storytelling. We’re blogging about it here on Saturdays.]

The Teen Program talking with Kerry James Marshall in the Atrium.  Photo: Andria Lo

Last Saturday the group was given the exceptional opportunity to spend the morning with artist, Kerry James Marshall. We met in the Atrium where we watched the mural artists in action painting Kerry’s enormous and prolific designs. The teens poured their curiosity into questions for Marshall, & I took notes on his answers:

What made you think of the concept of this piece?

Kerry answered that he’s interested in how historical narratives are told. He’s interested in stories…& what’s left out of the stories. His idea for the work was to put in the more complicated parts of the stories of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. How can [the Founding Fathers] be so much about justice and liberty if they owned slaves their whole lives?

How did you get to the place you are today?

The LA County Museum is the first museum Kerry went to, when he was fifteen years old. He said he wanted to make sure a painting he made got into that museum. One of his paintings was bought by the LA County Museum in 1993, he said, so other fifteen-year-olds could see that painting. When he was in school it was not common for African American artists to be in a museum. He said he recognized that gap and wanted to fill it. If you start to believe you have the capacity, Kerry said, it is all possible.

We continued our discussion in the Koret Visitor Education Center studios. It was the perfect introduction into beginning the mural design process. Fred Alvarado, Art Director of the program from Precita Eyes, had everyone brainstorming ideas for the themes of the mural. We  generated over a dozen ideas, broke it down to just a few, & by this week we’ll have a title and will begin the composite drawing.

Spending the day with Kerry was an inspiration to all.  Lionel from Oakland High said, “Today I learned that when you put your body and mind into your artwork, it will come out how you imagine it: PEACEFUL.“

Sketching out ideas for the mural.  Photo: Aimee Shapiro