Betye Saar ’49 is currently searching for an old wooden ladder. One, she says, “with a nice, warm patina.” Found objects, overlooked materials, and the thrill of the hunt for both — all are central to her creative process. “The ideas for art are always young,” she says. “When I run out of ideas, that’s when I’ll be old.”
That may sound unusual coming from someone born in 1926, but then again, Betye Saar is an unusual talent.
Collecting, upcycling and repurposing objects into sculpture is something she first observed growing up in Southern California. As a child, she marveled at the mysterious unfolding of a monumental construction made of discarded dishes and detritus created by artist Simon Rodia. “The Watts Towers were, and still are, incredible, and they were what inspired me the most,” she says. “I learned early on that you can make art out of anything.”
Saar’s parents met as first-years at UCLA in 1924, at a time when less than 2% of U.S. college students were Black; Betye herself enrolled during a time of constant construction on campus. (“There was a lot of dirt,” she recalls.)
Trailblazing clearly runs in the family. Saar became a legend in the art world not only for her mastery of materials, but for her unique integration of eclectic subjects, ranging from religion and folklore to mystical images such as the palmistry chart. Her cross-cultural investigations, as well as metaphysical and historical commentary, continue to inspire us. “I like to combine lots of different cultures and ideas,” she says, “to make something totally new.”
Saar’s work has been showcased all over the world, including at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Fondazione Prada in Milan.
Now, in the last act of her storied career, she remains hopeful about what art can achieve. “If I watch the news, I feel saddened. The world seems to move forward and then two steps back,” she says. But she remains steadfast in a belief that art can be a powerful voice for change. “Art,” she says, “can call things out.”
A Portrait of a Legend
One Bruin artist nearing the end of her decadeslong career, another just launching her own. As a recent B.F.A. graduate specializing in large-scale portraiture, Ana Belcher ’23 was perfectly suited to the task of painting fellow UCLA alumna Betye Saar ’49 — even though they graduated 74 years apart. Throughout the process, Belcher considered both the dynamism and timelessness of Saar’s practice of assemblage — the creation of three-dimensional compositions using found objects. The young artist incorporated the sculptural elements of her piece by hand, using modeling paste, pouring medium, tissue paper, leaves, twigs and fabric before painting over it all in rich acrylics.
“I was inspired by the idea of reframing materials and subjects,” Belcher says, “borrowing symbols and images of objects found in Saar’s work and collection: the crescent moon, stars, the cage and the doll.”
She says UCLA was built on the shoulders of giants like Saar — those who fight prejudice, defy convention and uplift marginalized communities. A recent UCLA art grad could scarcely find a more appropriate figure to model herself after. –Delan Bruce
Read more from UCLA Magazine’s Fall 2024 issue.