Featured Artist Clifton Webb

Inspired by African culture, artist Clifton Webb creates abstract sculpture with a visual message of positive change. See more of his portfolio on his website.

 

 

My artistry bubbles up from a deep faith that my African American heritage is worthy of sharing and celebrating, and will inspire others who don’t see enough positive role models in the general population.

 

 

As an arts educator and professional fine artist represented in museum collections and galleries around the country, my goal is to identify what is meaningful to me. I rephrase it using sculpture to translate it into a message of positivity more people can “hear” and see.

 

 

I long to not only help break down negative barriers but exemplify positive images. I want my artwork to be a dialogue starter towards continuing to reframe stereotypes.

 

 

My images may include symbols that are unfamiliar to most viewers. This is in the hope that their piqued interest will lead them on a journey of increased knowledge and appreciation for the noble underpinnings of my culture.

 

 

For me, the path to understanding the underlying sacredness of the African American civilization begins visually, as it has the most impact on a person’s brain. How does the coloration of the image, the subject, or the medium effect a response from the viewer?

 

 

Should I choose colored pencil, create a bronze sculpture or a bas-relief in handmade paper? What are the consequences of individual choices made during an international pandemic? How can I make a difference in society?

 

 

My work is inspired by being a part of a creative tradition with Africa at its core. While assimilating modern and contemporary European notions, I create mixed-media works of wood, medal, stone and fabric/fiber. All the while I hope to reach a broader and more expansive audience.

 

 

The most important question I continually ask myself is, “How do I translate my inner passion into a visual ‘call to action’?” My concern is not merely creating visually pleasing works of art for people to walk by or peruse in a gallery. My constant goal is to construct a visual perception that makes the viewer stop…look…ponder…read new information…integrate those insights into their lives—and change the world.

 

 

I am a New Orleans cultural bearer that co-founded the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center. I taught the talented in Visual Arts in the New Orleans public schools for three decades. My work is included in the permanent collections of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the New Orleans Museum of Art and Dooky Chase restaurant.

 

 

I have exhibited at many galleries and museums including Stella Jones Gallery, The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum, the African American Museum of Dallas, the Chattanooga Museum of Afro-American Culture and History, the Alternatives Museum, the Atlanta Arts Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the Arthur Roger Gallery and Max Hutchinson Gallery in New York.

 

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