Alison Saar, Visiting Artist Lecture 2023

Alison Saar gives a lecture talking about her interdisciplinary practice which spans sculpture, printmaking, found materials, and textiles. Saar explains her relationship to wood carving in particular and how she uses her sculptures to play with scale in order to explore themes of narrative, materiality, the real world and the spirit world, the complexities of identity, and working with the body. Saar talks about the importance of understanding racism and bigotry, and how understanding these complex topics means arriving at the essence of them. Saar explains that once we understand racism and bigotry, we can combat it. Saar also reflects on her love of German expressionism, and how this has guided her in the various themes she is currently exploring in her work, one being paying homage to the invisibility of labor workers–particularly custodial and janitorial staff in hospitals–and where she hopes these themes will take her next as an artist.