Paul Rucker
washington | interdisciplinary
Artist in Residence Program 2012
Artist Statement
All my work is inspired by that which moves me. I’ve created art inspired by the sanitation workers in Memphis who went on strike because of discrimination and poor working conditions, by Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s words in the Declaration of Sentiments that proclaimed, “All men and women are created equal,” and by the simple joy and sustenance found by a child catching raindrops.
While at Headlands
While at Headlands I’ll develop Recapitulation, an installation demonstrating the parallels between slavery and the contemporary prison industrial complex through animation, digital stills, sculpture, original music compositions, interactive sound and video. Although slave and convict have different names, these labels share similar limitations and expectations. Both have faced exploitation for labor, a loss of rights and disenfranchisement. Currently over 2.3 million people are incarcerated in the U.S., 40 percent of which are African Americans — although they comprise only 12 percent of the country’s total population. In Recapitulation, I will examine the vast numbers affected by both institutions and the disparity in the racial makeup of the prison population.
Head-shot photo by Wendy Johnson.
