Baker Artist Awards - Baltimore Museum of Art

A mixed-media artwork of an abstracted central figure with dark skin and an Afro surrounded by a flowing robe topped by 11 circles, each with a unique material and color.

Audio Description

0:00 / 0:46

Approximately four and three-quarters feet high and two-and-a-half feet wide, this mixed-media artwork was constructed using acrylic paint, geo stones, plastic, metal nails, wood, rope, and clay. An abstracted central figure with dark skin and an Afro is surrounded by a flowing robe topped by 11 circles, each with a unique material and color, including green, red, light and dark blue, white, black, and brown. The top of the artwork has a textured, woven-like border made of rope, and the bottom is adorned with small, pebble-like elements. The overall composition is rich in texture and color, creating a vibrant and dynamic visual effect.

Oletha DeVane
(born 1950)
Date:
2019
Medium:
Acrylic, geo stones, plastic, nails, wood, rope, clay

Working across public art, sculpture, installation, and works on paper, Oletha DeVane explores materiality, mythology, identity, and transformation. Snakes, birds, saints, mermaids, and other symbols populate her work, evoking the possibility of communication between reality and otherworldly realms. She has spent decades learning, teaching, and making art about the most profound phenomena of the human condition and life’s transformative experiences.

Born in Baltimore, DeVane is a Baltimore-based interdisciplinary artist. She received a B.F.A from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and an M.F.A. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. DeVane has made an indelible mark on the Baltimore arts community through her work as an artist, educator, and arts administrator.

Courtesy of the artist BMA