Àshe, Volume 2, Number 1, Spring 1992 Page: 4 of 8
7 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
HilBBM B BBBIBBII IS Iffli BIBBBBI li ■ 111 ■ MI ■ ■« ■IIBBIII IBBI i IBS I IBiBBBBBIB ■IBS ■■■ IBB BBS BBBBBSSH I
Three Collective Artists
Annette Lawrence
Interviews with Cannon, Lawrence, and Sams
Wilmer Cannon
§
I f
Ashe: What are you working on now?
Ashe: Do you have a philosophy of art?
Ashe: That’s a philosophy of life.
Cannon’s “Clown”
4
I only realized I was an artist four years ago.
I’ve always done creative things but I took
them for granted. I was bom and raised in
New Orleans. I was raised like a hot house
flower. I was always doodling or reading or
making dolls or sewing, crocheting, or em-
WC: Probably... I’m a person who is con-
tinually searching. I’m a truth seeker. I do
like to deal with just the brass tacks. I am
either for something or against it
Energy radiates from Wilmer Cannon. This
energy is reflected in her movement, voice,
and certainly her work. She’s a “varied art-
ist”, specializing in reliefs, painting, sculp-
ture, and dolls.
Cannon’s association with the Collective
began many years ago. She taught art to
children in the summer when the Collective
was housed at the KUUMBA House.
Wilmer Cannon: A lot of artists have a phi-
losophy or focus. I haven’t found my phi-
losophy or focus yet. I’m just creating and
enjoying creating at the time.
WC: No, not really. I have a philosophy
about how I feel about being an artist. God
made artists and I don’t need a birth certifi-
cate to be legitimate.
WC: At this point in my life, I don’t want
anything to stop me from producing my art
because it makes me feel wonderful and I
know it is what I need to be doing. I dibble
and dabble in social issues from time to time.
I do very little political things. I’m not radi-
cal about anything except being free. I’m
working on a painting... and it’s for a com-
panion piece to a piece that Michelle, I, and
other women did called Pandora’s Box. I
have already copyrighted a children’s book.
I have another that I plan to copyright and
have out on the market by Christmas.
broidering. I do all the needle arts because
that is what women, during my time, were
taught to do. I come from a long line of
seamstresses. My grandmother died last year
at 110. She was a quilter. She had quite a few
creative grandchildren and great-grandchil-
dren.
Ashe: How old were you when you realized
you could draw?
Third Ward/First World is the main project
Lawrence has worked on at the Collective.
It’s a multi-media installation where Third
Ward was seen through the eyes of youth
using video, photography, and sound.
AL: The first thing I did that had something
of a direct relation to me was in West Vir-
ginia in graduate school. There no one knew
anything about black people at all and I just
wanted to address the omission of the knowl-
edge of black people and their contributions
and what they’ve done. So, I was doing work
around racism there. Before that I was doing
a sculpture called “Carte Blache” and it was
Annette Lawrence: I do multimedia installa-
tions which means that when I do a piece, it
involves the whole environment I build the
space and I put objects in the space but the
whole experience of the space is what I’m
really interested in. I create the environment
using sculpture or pictures or slides.
Ashe: What single event influences your
work?
g
■S
Lawrence has been a journal writer since
1982.
§
tr
o
I
WC: I have line drawings that I did early in
life. I never thought anything about them
because I thought everybody could do this. I
was grown before I realized everybody
couldn’t I had this serious urge one night to
draw. So, I just finally got up and yielded to
it I drew a picture of the comer of my room
and it was that moment I realized I could
draw.
Annette Lawrence, one of the Artists-in-
Residence at the Collective, started drawing
at the age of 12. Bom in Queens, New York,
Lawrence came to Texas in 1990 via the
Artists-in-Education program sponsored by
the Texas Commission for the Arts. The
Commission matches artists with schools,
community centers, and organizations who
might be interested in having a visiting artist
The Collective was one of the organizations
interested in Annette.
Spring 1992 'aske.
I
Ik
|Lv
■ft
w
I
1
J
ik Jofc i
f i
* ’
ft
I*'
i'S-Xi XX -X xXASxX
Mr
1
bp
Bp '
L W
i.
a.
* t
IfllI
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Community Artists' Collective. Àshe, Volume 2, Number 1, Spring 1992, periodical, Spring 1992; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1324903/m1/4/: accessed July 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.