Adaro Willard - The artist behind meaning

 

    On one of the artist lectures, a ceramics artist named Adaro Willard stopped by the Sacramento State Campus to give the the art department and us students an introduction, as well as showing her portfolio and works that she has done throughout the past few years as a ceramics studio artist. Her work revolves around Feminism and anti-racism. Before she became an artist, she was born in New York city in 1980s. Her parents were mixed, leaving one of her parents black and one white. 

    Some of her inspired work revolved around random objects in a single pottery, able to create continuous forms of abstract shapes within her works. One work that she currently worked on, is known as Mino-Ghigua. This name was inspired by her African heritage, as she was born half black throughout her childhood. According to Willard, the name Ghigua was a term to describe women that were fighters of west Africa, as well as representing higher political status within West Africa. Within this ceramic vase, Willard uses a variety of pigments in order to represent the clothing, flowers streets, and other story related aspects within the artwork that further enhance the lifelike characteristics of Mino-Ghigua. The black and white striped objects in the vase for instance, would represent crosswalks on the streets. Because of these aspects, various colors that Adaro used within this artwork would manage to create her own personal identity, an identity that involves her culture and race as an African American.