Inspired by African culture, artist Clifton G. Webb creates abstract sculpture and paintings with a visual message of positive change. Clifton joins Anthony Burks Sr. as a Featured Artists at Zero Empty Spaces in Legacy Place, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. The public is welcome to a free Reception on Saturday, November 18 in the evening. In addition, Clifton joins the No More Starving Artists Foundation for Miami Art Week/ Art Basel from November 30 – December 10, 2023 at the Kimpton Angler’s Hotel in Miami Beach. The Rickie Report shares the details and some sneak peeks.
1300 Legacy Ave #140 Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
954.361.4998
Using a “visual alphabet” developed over the course of his career, formerly New Orleans-based (now living in Florida), artist Clifton Webb creates works imbued with reverence and dignity. Though the symbols he has developed may not be immediately familiar, they are unmistakably noble—and that is the intent. Webb set out to create works that would say to the world “This is me and all the people around me who don’t get to see themselves, who don’t get to see the royalty and sacredness of who the African American is.”
“Face to Face” by Clifton G Webb
Webb grew up in the Jim Crow south surrounded by a loving, nurturing, and caring community. However, he came to realize the people who made up that community were vastly under-represented in the artworks that were available to them. He asked himself, “What makes me unique? How do I make a mark that would suggest something about me, the African American? How do you know it when you see it in a gallery? What makes you say, ‘Oh, that’s African American’?”
“Siren Song” by Clifton G Webb
Clifton tells The Rickie Report, “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”.
“They Came Before Columbus” by Clifton G Webb
His 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 Webb’s culture. He goes on to say, ” 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?”
“Hip Hop” by Clifton G Webb
The most important question Webb continually ask himself 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”.
A New Orleans cultural bearer who co-founded the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center, Webb taught the talented in Visual Arts in the New Orleans public schools for three decades. His work is included in the permanent collections of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the New Orleans Museum of Art and Dooky Chase restaurant. He has 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. He is now a resident artist at Zero Empty Spaces in Palm Beach Gardens, FL Legacy Place.
About Zero Empty Spaces:
ZES creates affordable artist studios in vacant storefronts around the country where artists can create and collaborate at an affordable price and have the ability to be discovered and sell work at their studio.
Since 2021, every month ZES Palm Beach Gardens location curates featured artists of the month in their space. This allows for the public to view and purchase art that the artists create in their studios. Webb asked fellow studio mate and longtime ZES resident, Anthony Burks Sr. to join him as a featured artist. Burks, a Palm Beach County (PBC) native, is a conceptual fine and commercial artist who is one of the first in the Palm Beach Gardens location. He over the last 30 years is one of the local creatives, who has largely contributed to the landscape of the arts in PBC. The artist/curator/art educator is one of several artists in the space who helped develop the “feature artists program”.
You can also see both of their works in the NMSAF Goes to South Beach Exhibition during Miami Basel Week from November 30-December 10. The exhibition sponsored by MUSE Modern &Contemporary Art Fair & curated by ATB Fine Art Group Inc. (ATB) , has 34 artists throughout the state of Florida including Palm Beach County, Dade County and even Jacksonville where they have the opportunity to exhibit and sell their art during Miami Art Week.
Kimpton Angler’s Hotel
660 Washington Avenue Miami Beach, FL 33139
Bringing these artists to Miami Beach will give them the opportunity to connect, communicate and sell to international art collectors from all over the world. This show is at the Kimpton Angler’s Hotel South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida 33139.This event is courtesy of the 501(c)3 No More Starving Artists Foundation (NMSAF) that’s mission is to help primarily Palm Beach County artists be sustainable personally and professionally by providing opportunities and services.
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