Betye Saar

An introduction to the work of some of the foremost Black visual artists working today, inspired by the late David Driskell's landmark 1976 exhibition, "Two Centuries of Black American Art."

"Betye Saar: Drifting Toward Twilight" covers renowned American artist Betye Saar’s large-scale work “Drifting Toward Twilight”— commissioned by The Huntington Library, Art Museum, & Botanical Gardens — a site-specific installation that features a 17-foot-long vintage wooden canoe and found objects, including birdcages, antlers, and natural materials harvested by Saar from The Huntington’s grounds. This film renders a portrait of Betye's process at 96 while also reflecting on her life, career, and memories of Pasadena.

Wielding a paintbrush, Betye Saar steadfastly forges her own path with the mantra "Make Better Art." Her unwavering determination disrupted art conventions, paving the way for experimentation and conceptualism, ultimately sparking the Black women's movement. Now in her 90s, this icon from Watts is documented in this vivid portrait of her remarkable ascent in the art world and how she continues to carve an indelible mark in history.

Betye Saar’s film Colored Spade is an assemblage of derogatory images gradually replaced with depictions of African-American power and solidarity. The film explores Saar’s interest in deconstructing historical and political narratives through the use of symbolism within found imagery.

Shopping Bag, Spirits and Freeway Fetishes: Reflections on Ritual Space explores nine Los Angeles based artists reflecting on ritual in their life and art. Artist David Hammons discusses the role of chance and improvisation in his work while working on sculpture on a waste site while N’Senga Nengudi talks about staging her performances in freeway underpasses. Spanning performance to spoken word, environmental sculpture to music each artist talks about how ritual and cultural traditions informs their work. This experimental essay intercuts interviews, documentation and photographs with the music of Don Cherry seeking to adjust the criteria and language used to talk about artists of colour.

A 1977 documentary profiles the life and work of Saar, her fascination with the mystical and the unknown, merging with her social concerns as an African American woman.

At age 93, there's no stopping the legendary artist Betye Saar.