2. Read the article, "Cut it Out!," from ARTnews, April 2002. Use the article to help answer the questions
below.
Note: You may need to draw from your own knowledge or consult other sources as needed.
Background
a. What was Walker's very early life like? (Where did she live? What would life have been like there? What would
the cultural environment have been like? What types of messages would she have received about herself and the world?)
b. How did it change when she was 13 years old? Why? (Where did she move? What would life have been like there?
What would the cultural envrionment have been like ie. for a young African American girl? What types of messages would
she have received about herself and the world?)
c. What role did Georgia and other Southern States in the US played in the Civil War era. What was the position
of these states on issues of race (ie. slavery, etc.). What is the common position of people in these states today?
d. How did Walker become involved in art? Why?
e. What did Walker do the year before she went to graduate school? What was the significance of this time
for her?
f. How have Walker's own personal history, culture (including race, ethnicity) and experiences influenced
her work? Consider different times and places in her life.
Works
g. What medium does Walker use to create her artworks? What is the history of this medium? Why has she chosen this
medium over one more conventional such as oil paint?
Walker talks about the silhouette as a medium of avoidance because it prevents the viewer from looking at the subject
directly. What does this mean in relation to Walker's subject matter?
h. What does Walker say about the significance of the element of beauty in her work?
i. In more recent works, such as "Darkytown Rebellion," what new devices or technology has Walker used? In doing
so, how has she been able to bring the viewer into the artwork/ story?
j. How has Walker's work been received (by the art community, the public)? Why were older African American artists
angry about her work?
