linda little

Active Culture (2020)

Powdered chalk, gel medium, cardboard. 12Hx8Wx3D (inches)

Artist’s statement

Presented here is a mask that is found in personal collections of ordinary people and brought out on special occasions, particularly the Day of the Dead. Often these are made by the wearers themselves.

The wearing of more decorative and more symbolic masks shows that we are once again acclimating to the norms of a mask-wearing culture. In 2020, we were faced with an extremely rapid shift in the Covid-19 pandemic which forced everyone to construct cultural norms and accoutrements to defend against the virus. This was not easy, since we were unaccustomed to wearing a protective face mask out of simple medical necessity. The practice lacked a ceremonial meaning in any traditional sense.

“Active Culture” pays homage to the designs of ancient cultures around the world. The intention is to infuse the mask with a new ritual significance: the protective power to confront, confuse and defeat an unseen, mortal enemy.

About the Artist

Award-winning artist Linda Little’s practice spans more than three decades. In that time, she has exhibited steadily in numerous venues around Texas, where she lives and works.

Since 2014, Little has been the co-director of The Grackle Art Gallery in Fort Worth, Texas, a non-profit creative space. Their mission is to support local artists by providing opportunities for artists, performers and musicians as well as all forms of creative expression at no cost to the artists.

 Feature

Linda Little was our featured artist from January 26-Feb 1, 2021. Below we present an interview and a deeper look into
her work.

10 questions

1. Your mask for The Babel Masks imagines a future in which a population that was not a mask-wearing culture comes to accept the constant wearing of a mask, but a spiritual gap lingered because they were not from a culture that understands the ceremonial and ritual role of the mask. Can you project into that space in 2120 and share with us what new rituals and ceremonies and tribal identities might arise to close that gap? Might a unique set of symbols take form? In your imagination, what would they be like, and what would they represent?

A hundred years from now? I can see groups of people losing their racial and cultural identities and needing new rituals, traditions and identification to feel included in a like-minded group. 

2. You are the director of the Grackle Gallery based in Fort Worth, Texas. Can you please share some details about when it was founded and for what mission? If a person spent a week or a month at the Grackle Gallery, what would they see and how might they participate?

The Grackle Art Gallery was founded in 2010 by Matt Sacks, the owner. Its mission is to provide a space for emerging artists who don’t necessarily qualify for gallery representation. There are no fees or commissions. There are six shows per year and the work usually stays up for 3 to 4 weeks. When curating our shows, we look for personal artistic expression in all media: visual art, music, dance, spoken-word poetry, installation, and film, to name a few.

3. In Texas Monthly magazine last year, you were featured in a story about a project you started on a pedestrian overpass in Fort Worth that addressed to situation of children being separated and detained from their parents at the border. Can you tell the story of that project, how it began and what happened over time? 

The project was inspired on July 4th while watching the fireworks from a pedestrian bridge over a major highway. The bridge is guarded on all sides and the top by chain-link fencing, much like the cages the immigrant children were being held in. Their inhumane situation had been overshadowed by other news, and I felt their plight had been forgotten. To bring them back to the forefront, I created full-sized, two-dimensional representations of them behind the fence, looking down on the motorists with tears and anguish, their fingers entwined in the wires. Unfortunately, someone in the neighborhood removed them. I did it again, and the work was removed again. After that, a local organization became involved. We got together and made yet more posters to fill the bridge. As well, we staged a demonstration. This brought us some media coverage, and for a while our mission was successful. The work still got taken down, but we persisted in our work for some time. The intent was to keep the issue visible: to remind people that just because they didn’t hear about the children anymore, didn’t mean the problem had gone away. 

 4. I wonder if you could share with us your sense of the art scene in North Texas – what attitudes, approaches, aesthetics and environments affect it. How have you seen art at the gallery and museum levels differ from art which is seen in California or New York, for example? What is the greatest power that lies in Texas art and Texas artists?

Texas art and artists are very diverse. Different cultures and backgrounds are widely accepted and supported through many groups and organizations. It is true that a majority of collectors have more traditional tastes, preferring work that features landscapes, cowboys and western themes, but I see a good quantity of unique expressions as well. I keep up with current events in the art world and I can say our artists don’t rely on one curator or collector to give them fame or transform them into a brand. Sure, many artists would like to “make it big,” but plenty of them value independence and local community support, especially in a fertile local community like ours. Fort Worth has three world-class art museums here and a very engaged community art center. I believe a lot of our artists prefer keeping their integrity intact to commodifying their art.

5. How are arts organizations faring in Texas in the last few years? Have you seen a rise in the level of activity and attention the arts in general, and local artists in particular, are getting? What is happening, now that COVID-19 has made life more difficult for artists everywhere? Does Grackle Art Gallery find it has a role to play in sustaining and upholding the arts community in Fort Worth?

Our local art community is in flux. We have lost some venues and gained some back. In the last year I’ve seen a lot more self-promotion online, but live shows and art fairs have suffered. There has been more of a push to support local artists financially. I have purchased such pieces as I could afford from local artists, even while being without a steady income.

6. Is the Grackle Art Gallery connected with other arts organizations there or in other cities in a kind of consortium, or do organizations tend to work independently?

The Grackle operates fairly independently, but we have in the past allowed other local groups to use the space at no charge to exhibit their own shows. 

7. What has your attention, in terms of the way you are pursuing recent work? Can you share a little bit about your most recent or future projects?

I have resumed my art-a-day project. In 2018, I created a 5x7” work every day. It opened my eyes and freed my other senses to find inspiration in more of the world around me. The paintings became a type of visual diary for 2018, and in 2019 I had a solo show with all 365 pieces. Kävin Allenson, our music director, created music for each piece, and the collaboration yielded a series of short videos available here:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_v1GDxuomn2FuHVE99Ij3EKc7SH8wABr

8. What are some of the most important influences that guided you as you built your life as an artist? Whom do you feel you have been able to influence and support as they start on their own artistic path?

I had a wonderful teacher/mentor in college. She was a very good listener and asked me questions that forced me to investigate my direction. Also, I used to be embarrassed to say this, but materials inspire me. I like to create texture and I love pattern. Primitive art employs those elements often and I am drawn to it.

I hope I have helped the emerging artists who have shown at the gallery. Most of us create alone and spend most of our time in that solitude. It is important to share and communicate. Just having their work on view in the gallery and having a supportive audience to connect with can be a big boost for an artist’s enthusiasm, drive and spirit.

9. What do you find most necessary to pursue a true calling of art and binding it to your core guiding principles as an artist and a human being?

An inherent need to express oneself. An innate desire and passion to create, with a healthy dose of perseverance.

10. If you could speak to an artist who is at the very beginning of their training and their career, what advice would you have for them? What do you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?

As a gallery director and curator, the most common mistake I see artists make is that they fail to follow the given instructions for entering their work into a show.

If the show lists the judges’ names, it is a good idea to research them and learn their artistic tastes. It is possible that the show is not a good fit for you and a waste of time and money.

Document your work with high-quality photos. If you cannot afford a professional photographer (one familiar with photographing works of art), get a good camera or enlist the help of friends. Write a CV (curriculum vitae) and keep it current.

Most of all, be true to yourself and your artistic vision. I have seen artists lose heart and fail when their motivation is to make art that someone would want to buy. When their work doesn’t sell, they question their self-worth. Don’t compare yourself to others (they may be comparing themselves to you).

Work every day and keep a sketchbook with your thoughts and ideas.