Sign up and we'll send images of select works of art from UMMA's collection directly to your inbox once or twice a week. Click here to subscribe to Art In Your Inbox
False Narrative
Alvin Smith, 2019
Acrylic, Dimensions: 31.5in X 42.5in
Artist statement: “When I’m moved to create a piece, I find that listening to that inner voice always leads to something creative, fun, and sometimes challenging for viewers. But I’m always true to my own vision.” - Alvin SmithSmith, who is currently incarcerated, has been a practicing artist for many years. As a boy, his father encouraged him to be creative, tinkering with bicycle parts and other ordinary things to come up with personalized objects. His father’s help inspired him to mentor young men in prison. His own body of work is varied, and he often calls attention to the history of structural racism in the United States, using inventive metaphors and images from popular culture, presented from his unique point of view.
Reflection Prompts:
How does Smith play with the unexpected, leaving the viewer to question what they’re seeing in the painting?
What narratives about present-day American racism does Smith seem to be responding to and critiquing?
Moonlit Two-step
Alan Compo
2019, acrylic
Reflection Prompts:
How does Compo use geometric stylistic choices to tell a story about the interconnectedness of its figures?
Does Compo’s painting make you think of an image that represents your heritage? What similarities exist between that image and Compo’s?
Samantha Bachynski
Crocheted Motorcycle
2019
yarn, acrylic
Media Source: Local file upload
All Rights Reserved
Samantha Bachynski is a long-time participant in PCAP’s Annual Exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners. In addition to crocheting, Bachynski spent much time researching each of the motorcycle’s constitutive parts to better her work, using books and magazines to learn about the bike’s structure. In order to assemble this large piece, she crocheted each part of the motorcycle separately and then sewed the pieces together.
Reflection Prompts:
Crochet is often thought of as women’s work and motorcycles as a more masculine hobby. How does artist Samantha Bachynski challenge our expectations, bringing together the masculine and the feminine in her crocheted motorcycle?
How might you use research at home to improve your creative practice?
Redeemed
Susan Brown
2020, beadwork, dimensions: 21in x 26in x 12in
Reporting Policy