A witty moose and a clever squirrel helped inspire Denise Ward-Brown to embark on a life of art.
As a young girl growing up in suburban Philadelphia, Ward-Brown watched as her talented older sister drew Bullwinkle and Rocky characters on sheets of paper from the ever-available sketch pads that filled the creative home.
"She could draw them right off the TV," Ward-Brown, associate professor of art, said with a laugh. "I just thought that was so wonderful. It was like magic. I wanted to do that."
From the inspiration of these silly-voiced animals, Ward-Brown has gone on to develop her own serious artistic voice that is widely recognized for its rich use of symbolism and the desire to tackle complex issues.
Much of Ward-Brown's artistic language comes from a deep interest in the mythology and symbolism of African and Native American traditions. She developed an interest in these subjects as an undergraduate art student in the early 1970s. A professor at the Tyler School of Art at Philadelphia's Temple University presented Ward-Brown with a book on African art.
"I think I had it open the whole four years I was in school," Ward-Brown said. "I became really intrigued with the way these cultures use symbols. I realized I could use that as a way to handle, and deal with, what I'm trying to say in my own art."
A recent example of this can be found in the forest of triangular, wooden sculptures that fill the dining room of Ward-Brown's home. Created out of old doors and propped up with glass bottles, the abstract, rough-hewn sculptures lay in silent testament to one of history's most tragic episodes.
They are a memorial to the Middle Passage and the trade of enslaved humans, Ward-Brown explained. The pieces were part of her 1995 solo "Currents" exhibition at the Saint Louis Art Museum.
"The doors represent that piece of history," Ward-Brown said. "It's all about the sense of passage. People walked through the exhibit and said it reminded them of the sails on sailing ships. Or they could be markers -- like grave markers.
"And the doors could possibly symbolize the threshold from life to death. Or it could symbolize the passage from Africa to America," she continued, growing animated with her own multiple interpretations of the work. "Or it could symbolize going from a free person to an enslaved person. There are all kinds of references that can be made from this -- a portal, an entrance."
She sees Ward-Brown's work as a continuation of the traditions found among African and early African-American women. "Women were the traditional holders of ideas, symbols and cultural images," Lewis-Harris said. "Her work has to do with a rediscovery of her roots and her history. She is part of this whole long tradition."
While Ward-Brown uses concepts from such cultural traditions, she does not try to emulate the actual African imagery. Instead, she grounds her work in the contemporary American experience by using ordinary, everyday objects and creating forms that come from her life growing up in this country. Ward-Brown believes people can better relate to objects they recognize.
"That's why I use things in my own immediate environment -- the door, everybody knows what that means," she said. "I don't want to go out of my own environment to find symbols."
But she will go out of her way to find doors. Ward-Brown finds great joy in locating old doors and other artifacts to use in her art. "I like finding stuff," she said. "People call me up and tell me there is something behind their house. I enjoy going through thrift stores and flea markets. That's one good thing about St. Louis -- I can get materials very easily."
Getting her materials to St. Louis five years ago, however, was another matter. Ward-Brown was living in Washington, D.C., and had just completed a major collection of work and also had gathered architectural details to use in future work. "I couldn't bear to part with it," she said of the materials, explaining that it took an 18-wheeler to haul it all. "The mover swore he'd never move another artist again."
Once Ward-Brown settled into her comfortable, old brick home near Tower Grove Park, she started her duties at the School of Art in 1991. She quickly made an impact, said Joe Deal, professor and dean of the art school. "Her use of color in sculpture, her knowledge of materials and the unique cultural perspective she brings broadened our sculpture program," he said.
Ward-Brown came during a period of transition in the sculpture area because James Sterritt, former professor and longtime head of the sculpture area, was making plans to retire. Sterritt, unfortunately, became ill and passed away in early 1995 just before his retirement, Deal explained. Ward-Brown and others in sculpture were left with a program on their hands, he noted.
"Since January of this year, Denise has stepped in as area coordinator of sculpture," Deal said. "She's well-respected by both students and faculty and has had a leveling influence on the program."
Ward-Brown, who describes herself as an "artist/teacher," said she tries to inspire her students to find their own artistic voices. "There are certain skills I can teach, like how to run wood through a band saw, but that's not educating," she said. "I see education as helping students think originally and think about what's pertinent to them and applying it to their life and art."
She continued: "It's our job as sculpture faculty to get the students to develop their own visual language -- using their own materials and saying what they want to say and how they want to say it."
Ward-Brown refined her own visual language as a graduate student at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she earned a master's degree in fine arts in 1984. As a young aspiring artist, Ward-Brown began showing in galleries around Washington and New York.
After receiving a few grants, she realized she was on the right track. "I could finally pay my bills," she joked.
Her solo exhibitions included shows at the "O" Street Gallery and the Jones Troyer Fitzpatrick Gallery in Washington and the Cinque Gallery in New York. She has been part of numerous group exhibitions, including shows at the Smithsonian Institution, the University of Maryland at College Park and the Port of History Museum in Philadelphia.
Robin Murez, a 1996 graduate of the master's of fine arts program, is launching her own art career. She credits Ward-Brown for helping her immeasurably. "She's spectacular," Murez said. "She pushes me and at the same time is completely supportive. The growth I have had under her is fantastic."
Murez recalled first meeting Ward-Brown several years ago at a conference in which dozens of fellow students presented slides of their works to faculty members. "I told her I wanted to do an independent study with her," Murez said. "She told me, 'I'm really swamped.'"
Weeks later, Murez again met with Ward-Brown about the possibility of an independent study. "She remembered me and my slides exactly," Murez said. "She had great suggestions and ideas. When she is in a critique, I know she's right. Some professors use boiler-plate language -- saying the same thing to all students. Not Denise. She speaks directly to your work and your ideas."
Last spring, Ward-Brown helped Murez prepare her work for the annual public art installation along the Delmar Loop in University City. Murez was one of five students selected to display their works in the program that Ward-Brown oversees at the art school. Murez's work was a giant glass bead necklace that graced University City's city hall.
Murez said Ward-Brown not only helps with the creative aspect but also the practical side. "She's very good in explaining how to hone what is needed -- like how to prepare a budget, draft an artist statement and get a proposal in order," Murez said.
Ward-Brown sits on committees that review public art proposals. "I've seen what wins and doesn't win," Ward-Brown said. "I try to get them prepared for going into the world and presenting their work in a professional way. Many professional sculptors make a good living through public art commissions."
Ward-Brown knows the creative process can be difficult at times. "To get from the model or sketch to the final object can be hard," she said. "You just have to have perseverance. It's really hard to trust yourself that you'll get through. It can be physically painful."
But each stage in the process can and should have its moments of growth and improvisation, she said. "I want some unplanned things to happen. Sometimes my work goes through so many states that it's unrecognizable from the original idea. It's kind of fun. Sometimes I think, 'Dang, where did that come from?'"
Many of Ward-Brown's ideas come from books she reads and her own observations. She may look at an art book upside down just to see if it sparks an idea. She also finds inspiration in music and will listen to jazz and Motown classics while she works. If really physical work must be done -- like sanding wood for hours -- she will put on a musician like James Brown. "I can just dance through it," she said.
The direction Ward-Brown's work will take in the future is a mystery to be explored and invented. When she looks at her early work, she sees a type of connection. "This was the beginning of me putting together a visual language," Ward-Brown said. "It was much more literal, but I had to go through that to get to what I'm doing now. My sculpture and my concepts are always evolving."
-- Neal Learner
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