Gary White

Biography

Gary, a native of Nashville, received his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in Ceramics and his Bachelor of Fine Arts at Watkins College of Art and Design. Since then his works have been included in solo shows and group exhibitions throughout the country. White conducts a cross-cultural visual investigation, that explores folkways, identity, and the experiences of the “southern Other”. Gary is the College of Art's first Belmont Faculty Fellow and will be teaching ceramics. 

Artist Statement

We are always in constant search of recording the world around us. This need can be seen in the works of ancient ancestors. From Moche effigy pots of pre-Columbian America to the latest high tech digital camera, the urge to record is undeniably in our genetic human DNA. The immediacy of clay has been there to satisfy this urge throughout history and the modern age. It is only fitting that it is the medium of choice to express and record.

My work is inspired by the rich complex history of the American South, from the perspective of a multi-ethnic southern experience. A category which I have termed the “Other”. My work pays homage to the past and celebrates the present. I gather inspiration from histories, life ways, Ancestors, tribal traditions, folklore, and religious practices to create hybrid archetypes.

These Archetypes become personal expressions of identity, time, place, and life ways of the old and new South. The sculptures transport the viewer back in time to revisit the past and ponder the present. These characters become guardians, guides, and storytellers. Within them hold metaphorical memory, archived experiences, and wisdom.