Claim: Assemblage and Self-Possession

Chapter 2 traces the practices of installation and assemblage by John Outterbridge, Noah Purifoy, and Betye Saar. They all shared the aesthetics of reuse in their sculptural concatenations. Purifoy and Outterbridge embedded their artmaking in community engagement and urban public space. In the wake of the Watts Rebellion (1965), Purifoy began creating art from the detritus of the aftermath, highlighting the efficacy of the black activist object. Outterbridge felt that his role as a cultural worker (running Watts Towers Art Center and the Compton Communicative Arts Academy) was in many ways as important as creating discrete objects. His own sculpture paid homage to vernacular making. Saar’s assemblage practice was more intimate and centered on spirituality. Through her we can trace the intersection of African American and feminist art networks in Los Angeles.