Artist’s Statement
The idea of Altars shrines, and sacred statuary has been used in sacred spaces set aside for reflection, communion, and as Memorials. We find these in almost every spiritual and religious system worldwide. They may be as simple or elaborate as its maker intends.
It was inevitable that this rich tradition would make its way into my practice as an artist. My work is informed by the rich complex history of the American South, from the perspective of a multiethnic southern experience. A category of which I have termed the “Other”. My work pays homage to the past and celebrates the present. Histories, lifeways, Ancestors, traditions, folklore, and religious practices of this south meander their Way throughout the work. These motifs and archetypes are elevated to a sainted status. The figures transport the viewer back in time to revisit the past and ponder the present. Within the work there is held metaphorical memory, archived experiences, spirituality, lessons and wisdom.
By using clay along with mixed media, such as the use of textiles, steel, and paints I create sculptures that become guides of history. These sculptures, become secular saints that when grouped together form a collective cloud of Ancestors, and also paint a portrait of the collective historical south. Stories, experiences, and folkways are presented through the work, and drive their creation.
The work ensures the maintenance of a metaphorical altar of History that belongs to the collective American altar of History as a whole, moreover, human history. Through the presentation of Clay figures, Pies safes, Wooden Retablos, and Quilts I want the viewer to be given the opportunity to gain a glimpse into the complexities of identity, ponder the past, critique the present and walk away with a more complex view of the nuances of the later.

Gary L. White