Alison Saar, Brierpatch Blues

Saar is one of three daughters of artist Betye Saar and was encouraged from an early age to explore and engage with art. She completed her BFA in Studio Art and Art History at Scripps College in Claremont, CA, in 1978 and received her MFA from Otis Art Institution in Los Angeles, CA, in 1981. Saar studied Afro-Caribbean, Haitian, African, and Afro-Cuban art with Samella Lewis and became interested in African American folk art, which then influenced her subject matter. In addition to her interest in African and Haitian folklore, she is also engaged with contemporary African American popular culture and religion, as well as classical mythology. Saar’s artwork often addresses issues of social, racial, and sexual identity. In 1982, at the age of twenty-six, her work was presented in her first solo exhibition at the Jan Baum Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. She has since exhibited at many venues across the United States, including the High Museum, Atlanta, GA, 1993; the Phyllis Kind Gallery, NY, 2001; and the LUX Art Institute, Encinitas, CA, 2011, where she also serves as an artist in residence. Saar has received numerous awards and fellowships, including the New York City Art Commission’s Excellence in Design Award, 2005; the 2004 Anonymous Was a Woman Award; and fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, 1989 and the National Endowment for the Arts, 1988, among others.