From en.wikipedia.org:
[American artist] JACK DAWS (born June 9, 1970)[1] is a Seattle-based American
artist. Working with assisted readymades, mixed media sculpture, and
photography, his work addresses a range of socio-political and cultural
issues.
** Early life and education
Daws was born in 1970 in Pulaski County, Kentucky, where he lived until 1991.
At age twenty he accepted a scholarship to attend the Atlanta College of Art,
but dropped out before completing the first semester.[2]
** Art practice
Much of Daws's work reflects his interest in socio-political issues,
particularly those of racial and cultural identity. Some of his most
controversial works play on stereotypes of African American, Native American,
and Mexican American culture. _Seattle Post-Intelligencer_ art critic, Regina
Hackett writes: "In Seattle, no white artist has pushed the edge of racial
outrage as clearly as Jack Daws, who is hardwired to go over the line... He's
not expressing hatred or taking a fast ride on any one hot button. All hot
buttons are dear to him."[3]
Other works have addressed the September 11 attacks (_Two Towers_, 2003), the
Florida election recount in the 2000 U.S. presidential race (_Serfs Up!_,
2004), police brutality (_Better You Than Me_, 2007), the war on drugs
(_Misdemeanor Sculpture_, 2001, _Anywhere But Here_, 2002, _Ceci N'est Pas Une
Bong_, 2004), and Israel–United States relations (_King of Israel_, 2007). To
date however, the work Daws is perhaps best known for is his piece entitled
_Counterfeit Penny_, 2006.
** _Counterfeit Penny_ , 2006
In 2006, Daws hired metalsmiths to make a mold of a 1970 U.S. penny and cast
it in 18-karat gold. He then hired another metalsmith to copper plate it.
Wanting to see how it would age, he carried the sculpture in his pocket for
six months, during which time it developed a brown patina just like an
ordinary penny. On March 28, 2007, Daws intentionally put the 'penny' in
circulation at Los Angeles International Airport. It was discovered in
Brooklyn two and a half years later by Jessica Reed, a graphic designer and
coin collector. Reed noticed it while paying for groceries at a Greenpoint
C-Town. It seems that either the copper plating had begun to wear off,
revealing the gold underneath, or it had oxidized in such a way as to give it
a golden tint. Either way, it caught Reed's eye and she held on to it.
Reed carried the 'coin' in a change purse for months before doing a quick
Internet search for "gold penny 1970." Within minutes she was directed to the
website of Daws's Seattle art dealer, the Greg Kucera Gallery.[4] There she
read a copy of a 2007 press release that described the sculpture as being a
little smaller than a real penny, and almost twice as heavy. Reed measured it
and weighed it. In disbelief, she contacted the Kucera Gallery, and was put
in touch with Daws. After a brief telephone conversation Daws confirmed that
she had discovered the _Counterfeit Penny_ sculpture. Jennifer 8. Lee of the
_New York Times_ wrote: "Most counterfeiting takes something that is nearly
worthless and turns it into something perceived to have value. Mr. Daws did
just the opposite. He took value – approximately $100 worth of gold – and
turned it into something perceived as nearly worthless, one cent."[5]
** Awards/collections
Daws received the Betty Bowen Award[6] from the Seattle Art Museum in 2015, an
Artist Trust/Washington State Arts Commission Fellowship[7] in 2008, and a
[8]Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant[9] in 2006. He was a finalist for a 2013
Neddy at Cornish Award[10] and received a 2013 Special Recognition Betty Bowen
Award[11] from the Seattle Art Museum.
His work is in the permanent collections of the Seattle Art Museum, the
University of Washington's Henry Art Gallery, Tacoma Art Museum, and Western
Bridge (William and Ruth True Collection).[12]
His work was also included in the 2013 book _Wild Art_, published by Phaidon
Press.[13]
** References
[30em]
** External links
- [http://www.jackdawsart.com]
[Authority control]
[DEFAULTSORT:Daws, Jack] Category:1970 births Category:Living people
Category:Photographers from Kentucky Category:Artists from Washington (state)
Category:Artists from Seattle Category:American conceptual artists
Category:Sculptors from Kentucky Category:Sculptors from Washington (state)