Betye Saar: Heart of a Wanderer

Betye Saar (b. 1926) is an artist whose assemblages tell visual stories and convey political messages. A figure of the Black Arts Movement in the 1970s, she works with found objects, many of which she gathers on her travels to explore themes like symbolic mysticism, feminism, racism, and Eurocentric chauvinism. This volume examines Saar's creative process, her trips around the world, and the ways in which her artworks engage with global histories of travel and forced migration. This illustrated book draws on interviews with Saar and the companions who accompanied her in her travels across four continents over several decades. Essays contextualize Saar's journeys within her broader life and career, as well as how her practice fits into broader traditions, such as scrapbooking, in African American visual culture. In addition to providing this context, this book explores how Saar's assemblage practice both echoes and provides a counterpoint to the collecting practices of Gilded Age American art collectors like Isabella Stewart Gardner. Featuring previously unpublished material, including almost thirty travel sketchbooks and two dozen finished assemblages, this book offers a timely social history of the impact of travel on the African American experience. --From publisher's description.