Palmer Museum Visit

The piece of art I choice was the Harlem Rose, constructed and made by Willie Cole in 2005 and 2006.  This piece uses old, scuffed female shoes to create a circular object that shows the bottoms of worn shoes. With the front tips of the shoes facing outward, the sculpture creates a flower like image. This piece was created to tell a story about the African American women in the time period of the civil rights movement. This piece of art may seem just like a bunch of shoes arranged in a circle, but surprisingly it has more of an effect on the audience when the facts behind the piece come into play. 

The time period behind this piece of work shows the historical aspect of women during the civil rights movement. Although to some people the artwork may just seem like shoes, to others who look more deeply into its meaning, it may represent the hard working, determined African American women of the time period. With the bottoms of the shoes being scuffed and shown throughout the entire piece, Willie Cole creates the image of women walking in civil rights marches and protests. Although this piece was created a few years ago, the time period Willie Cole had in mind when creating this piece influences the way the audience perceives his art. When realizing he is representing the hard work of the African American women during the civil rights movement the piece changes from a circle of shoes to a story of the past.

At first when looking at this piece I felt confused and just enjoyed it because I love shoes. After reading into the piece of work my emotions changed and I felt more moved by the piece. Although I can’t relate directly to the meaning behind the sculpture, I still feel as if it affected me. Images of women in marches, and women being pushed away while fighting for equal rights came into my head and I began to realize why the shoes were used to create this piece of artwork. I feel as if Willie Cole is a credible artist. He is also African American, which could be used to understand why his piece represents the struggles of African Americans in the past. He is a known international sculptor and primarily uses domestic and previously used objects such as blow dryers, irons, high-heeled shoes, and old recycled bicycle parts. Willie Cole attended Boston University School of Fine Arts and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.  Throughout his career he received many awards, including national awards for African-American art. Based on the known awards and prestigious college Willie Cole attended, I came to the conclusion that he was a credible artist.

My overall experience at the Palmer was a lot better then I expected it to be. At first I thought I was going to hate the entire experience because museums and paintings don’t really interest me, but when I came across the sculptures, I began to appreciate the art and meanings behind them. I found the sculpture with the shoes the most interesting mainly because the artist used my favorite thing to create something with more of a meaning.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kimberly-brooks/first-person-artist-willi_b_84255.html