Robert Earl Paige poses with his installation Give the Drummer Some! at the Smart Museum of Art’s 50th Birthday Party celebration in October. (Photography by Jason Smith)
Samples from a Smart Salon conversation with artist Robert Earl Paige.
The installation Give the Drummer Some!—commissioned by the Smart Museum of Art in celebration of its 50th anniversary—is a little complicated to explain, but very easy to look at.
The work, by South Side artist Robert Earl Paige, is composed of five colorful textile patterns (known as motifs in textile design terminology). At the Smart, the motifs have been printed on the walls, the windows, and the floor, as well as on seat cushions and beanbag chairs in the lobby. The title references a line from James Brown’s 1970 song “Funky Drummer,” which features one of the most sampled drum solos in music.
Similarly, the motifs of Paige’s piece will pop up all over campus this year—at Bond Chapel, for example, you might spot them on the altar cloth or the clothing of the celebrant. Creative sampling by the University community is highly encouraged, says Laura Steward, the University’s curator of public art, who commissioned the installation.
Born in 1936 (“I’m not a senior citizen,” he says, “I’m a person of long standing”), Paige grew up in Woodlawn and studied textile design at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In the 1960s he worked at architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill as an “inferior desecrator” (his term) while also participating in the Black Arts Movement.
Paige spoke with Steward at the Smart Salon event, The World According to Robert Earl Paige, in November. Here is an edited and condensed sampling of his remarks.
On doodling: When you’re a doodler, you’ve never seen a piece of paper you didn’t fall in love with.
On his chosen medium: I’ve always considered myself an artist. My medium has been textiles. I’m trying to turn ugliness into beauty.
On the motif known as Power to the People: All through my life, in my practice, I’ve always been interested in collaboration. When I think about the role of the artist and the creation of a community aesthetic, it involves everybody. I follow the five C’s: courage, consistency, commitment, confidence, and curiosity equals creativity.
On his three shows in the past year: I’m at the end of my triple crown. As Michelangelo said, “I think my apprenticeship is over.” Why am I not a millionaire?
On the art program he founded at the Cabrini-Green public housing project: That’s part and parcel of who I am. I love community. Beauty is a community service. Everyone is an artist as a kid, but when they grow up, someone is going to slap their hand.
On his favorite clothing shop: The closest resale shop. I haven’t bought clothes in 20 years. If you see a thread on a garment, don’t pull it! Burn it. Singe it.
On what’s next (a question asked by a woman holding a baby): Taking that little king you have in your hands and turning him into an artist.