Local artist and educator Niarus Walker yielded to her creative and impulsive nature because “I thought it would be fun.” Walker entered the open, independently organized international art competition, ArtPrize, which takes place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, from Sept. 16 through Oct. 3.
ArtPrize celebrates artists working in all mediums from anywhere in the world and is open to any artist with artwork to enter and a venue willing to host it. The competition is recognized as one of the world’s largest public art events.
The funding from ArtPrize will assist the winning artists in realizing their ambitious projects and competing for a combination of prizes and juried awards this fall.
Walker’s entry, “Good Breeding Stock,” is a free-standing sculptural work consisting of two images made of recycled coaxial cable debris salvaged from Hurricane Maria. The sculptures are male and female, where the lower half of the male torso is a bull, and the lower half of the female torso is a cow. Each member of this duo, together, breaks the chain, that iconic symbol of slavery, she said.
“I created the image as an amalgamation of the human being and animal, specifically the Senepol cattle, which was developed and bred on St. Croix. The image represents the very tangible reality of how enslaved Africans were bred as cattle from the fittest of the population in order to harvest a stronger breed that could survive the hardships of slavery in much the same way the Senepol was bred to be less susceptible to diseases and to withstand the harsh Caribbean climate,” she said.
“The sculpture is built out of the trauma and also represents resilience and determination and strength of the people of the African diaspora.”
When the ArtPrize call came out in 2021, Walker made the decision to enter the male centaur sculpture. With more wire at her disposal, Walker created the cow, the heifer, the female centaur sculpture – both are ecologically sustainable, she said.
The application process began: Walker entered her idea and sketched the actual work.
Under the rules, each artist must find a venue willing to host the artist’s work. Walker chose four venues; Grand Rapids Community College will be the first to host her work.
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