Wesley Clark

Wesley Clark was born in Washington, DC and currently resides in Hyattsville, MD. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting from Syracuse University and a Master of Fine Arts from George Washington University.

Clark primarily creates mixed-media wood sculptures, that read as familiar to the general masses, and are often hybrids of two or more objects or concepts. He refers to these objects as fictional artifacts, made to look as if they’ve lived a life prior to being on display; prompting viewers to question their importance and create their own narratives based on their answers. Clark infuses socio-political conversations into his works; merging the historical with the contemporary, to speak on issues faced by Black Americans.

Wesley Clark’s work, My Big Black America is in the permanent collection of the Asheville Art Museum in North Carolina. In 2016, he was commissioned by The American Alliance of Museums to create Shift. Rotate. Repeat. — a temporary public artwork at the site of President Lincoln’s cottage in Washington, DC for museum week. That commission launched his public art practice with 10 permanent works in the Washington DC area. Clark was a panelist for the Critical Craft Forum at the College Arts Association 2016 conference. As part of Clark’s practice, he regularly engages with high school students around the various approaches and processes to art making, developing critical thinking, and entrepreneurship as he is an owner of an art installation company. He also regularly mentors young artists and apprentices, providing the hands-on experience of a professional art practice.

Clark has taught at George Washington University’s Columbian College/Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, teaching Intro to Painting, Intro to Drawing, and First Year Studio 2D. He is also a member of the DC based art collective Delusions of Grandeur. Clark currently resides in Hyattsville, MD, with his wife and two beautiful children.

[Source: Museum Staff]