Photo Credit: David Dietrich
John Henry (Series 3)
© Kelly Phelps and Kyle Phelps
Kelly (1972 – ) and Kyle Phelps (1972 – ) John Henry (Series 3), 2014 Mixed-media ceramic 24 x 10 x 8 inches Kyle and Kelly Phelps grew up in the Rust Belt in the 1970s and 80s, an experience that informs their sculpture. The twins explore themes of labor, class and struggle through clay, and their shadow box-like reliefs have been well received. In June/July 2013, the twins were featured in American Craft Magazine in which they shared their influences – the decline of once steady labor and the struggles their community faced following the fall of the auto industry. The two received their MFAs from University of Kentucky and are now professors in Ohio – one at Xavier University and the other at the University of Dayton. John Henry (Series 3) depicts folk hero John Henry, the steel-driving man who, as legend has it, raced against a steam-powered hammer and won, only to die of exhaustion the following day. In updating John Henry to a modern-day railroad worker, the Phelps twins retell the story of the African American laborer in the context of blue collar work. The sculpture won Best in Show at the 2014 American Craft Council exhibition. The Phelps twins are currently working on a new body of work for an exhibition called Blue Collar, which will be on view at Berea College, KY and Youngstown University, OH. This work has been promised to those exhibitions, and, if purchased, the Curatorial department will facilitate the loan. Their work speaks to craft as a social medium and the use of clay to share a narrative. It also ties in with place, labor, race and class. The relief sculptures are reminiscent of WPA work, so there’s interplay between works in the Permanent Collection and these. With their continued successes, this is a wise purchase at a good price point as the two artists continue to be recognized nationwide. The work is very strong and compelling and would make a good addition to exhibitions with themes such as labor, craft as social commentary, African American experience and narrative works in clay, among many others.
Label Date:
Type: Collectors' Circle writeup
C Kelly Phelps and Kyle Phelps: Our creative process always begins with research first. We conduct interviews, visit actual sites, and collect and archive artifacts from the sites. We then work up sketches for the figure. We choose the best pose and begin to sculpt the figure as a solid form. Once the figure is sculpted and hollowed out, it is placed on a drying rack for a week in preparation for firing. When the form is fired, we then begin the surfacing, which includes priming and hand-painting with oils and acrylics. Once the figure is painted, the frame is constructed from repurposed wood from an old railroad spike crate. A found object like a railroad spike is attached. The figure is mounted, and wall hangers attached. All of the work is completed in a small studio where we work together, usually side-by-side or back-to-back, kind of like working on an assembly line. We typically work on four to five pieces at once. This allows us to work on several pieces at the same time, which increases our output and production. There is always something to do, so we never get bored. CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE JOHN HENRY SERIES? He was an American folk legend who was also known as the “steel-driving man.” He was a kind of underdog who tried to save railroad laborers’ jobs by competing against the modern technology of the time, which was a steam-powered hammer. He and his human-powered hammer beat the steam drill, but he died soon after. There were very few career opportunities outside of farm-laborer jobs for African Americans. At the time, if you were African American and needed a job, the railroad or the military was the most viable career. This is where we made the connection to John Henry. Not only did he represent our race, he represented the struggle of the working class.
Label Date: 2020
Type: Interview
ABOUT THE JOHN HENRY SERIES: He was an American folk legend who was also known as the “steel-driving man.” He was a kind of underdog who tried to save railroad laborers’ jobs by competing against the modern technology of the time, which was a steam-powered hammer. He and his human-powered hammer beat the steam drill, but he died soon after. There were very few career opportunities outside of farm-laborer jobs for African Americans. At the time, if you were African American and needed a job, the railroad or the military was the most viable career. This is where we made the connection to John Henry. Not only did he represent our race, he represented the struggle of the working class. CREATIVE PROCESS: Our creative process always begins with research first. We conduct interviews, visit actual sites, and collect and archive artifacts from the sites. We then work up sketches for the figure. We choose the best pose and begin to sculpt the figure as a solid form. Once the figure is sculpted and hollowed out, it is placed on a drying rack for a week in preparation for firing. When the form is fired, we then begin the surfacing, which includes priming and hand-painting with oils and acrylics. Once the figure is painted, the frame is constructed from repurposed wood from an old railroad spike crate. A found object like a railroad spike is attached. The figure is mounted, and wall hangers attached. All of the work is completed in a small studio where we work together, usually side-by-side or back-to-back, kind of like working on an assembly line. We typically work on four to five pieces at once. This allows us to work on several pieces at the same time, which increases our output and production. There is always something to do, so we never get bored.
Label Date: 2020
Type: Interview
- Intersections in American Art , 9/11/2019 - 00/00/00
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