Broken Time: Sculpture by Martin Payton will be on view at the LSU Museum of Art October 19, 2017 through February 11, 2018.
Broken Time: Sculpture by Martin Payton features 20 steel sculptures by local sculptor Martin Payton. The exhibition focuses on Payton's recent work: his sculpture created in the last twenty years represents his most sophisticated improvised compositions. Inspired by New Orleans jazz musicians who maintain African heritage in the form of polyrhythms, chants, and improvisation, Payton maintains the record of use and wear in his material—scrap metal. Payton welds these materials as found, improvising his sparse, lyrical steel sculptures, which are deeply rooted in the modernist tradition. Striking lines, curves and planes are deepened with nuanced layers of meaning rooted in African symbolism, the African American experience, and jazz.
The project will be accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalog with essays by LSU MOA Curator Courtney Taylor; LSU Professor and Director, African & African American Studies Program, Dr. Joyce Jackson, Southern University retired art historian Dr. Eloise Johnson, and New Orleans poet, editor, and music producer Kalamu ya Salaam.
Born in New Orleans in 1948, Martin Payton currently lives and maintains a studio in Baton Rouge. Payton was a professor of art at Southern University from 1990 until retirement in 2010. He received his BFA from Xavier University and his MFA from Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. Payton’s work is held in the permanent collections of NOMA, the Amistad Research Center, the William King Regional Arts Center, and the Rosekrans Runnymede Sculpture Garden. In 2002, as part of a collaboration with friend and colleague John T. Scott, Payton constructed the Spirit House, a public art project that celebrated African American contributions to New Orleans by incorporating drawings of area school children into the project.
Curated by Courtney Taylor
EXHIBITION PLAYLIST
compiled by Martin Payton
GALLERY GUIDE
EXHIBITION INSTALLATION
Photography by Malarie Zaunbrecher
EXHIBITION CATALOG
Published by Louisiana State University Museum of Art. Copyright © 2017 Louisiana State University Museum of Art. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, email artmuseum@lsu.edu
To purchase this book, visit the LSU Museum Store or email artmuseum@lsu.edu
EXHIBITION SPONSORS
Generous support for this exhibition is provided by The Imo N. Brown Memorial Fund in memory of Heidel Brown and Mary Ann Brown, Louisiana CAT, the L. Cary Saurage II Fund, and Robert T. and Linda H. Bowsher.
LECTURES & PROGRAMS
WATCH Artist Talk with Martin Payton
Baton Rouge artist Martin Payton speaking about his sculpture and sculpture by his friend, mentor, collaborator artist John T. Scott. Together they created the Spirit House Project in 2002, a public art sculpture located at DeSaix Circle that celebrates the contributions of unnamed African Americans to the building and culture of New Orleans. Payton and Scott have had works on display at LSU MOA in Art in Louisiana: Views into the Collection and Living with Art: Selections from Baton Rouge Collections.
Past Events
PRESS
PRESS RELEASE
LSU Museum of Art Presents Broken Time: Sculpture by Martin Payton CLICK HERE>>
Artist Talk with Sculptor Martin Payton // July 9th at 5:30 p.m. To kick off our Summer Artist Talk Series, Baton Rouge artist Martin Payton will be speaking about his sculpture and sculpture by his friend, mentor, collaborator artist John T. Scott.