It was a special moment this week when Jude Andreasen stopped by the Washington Glass School and handed me a copy of Cleve Overton – His Life and Art, the beautiful new book she has created about the life and work of her late husband and my friend, artist “Cleve” Overton.
I was honored to write the introduction to the book, but holding the finished volume—with 260 pages and more than 200 images of Cleve’s work—was something else entirely.
Cleve was an artist, author, educator, welder and social activist whose practice ranged from woodcuts and ceramics to sculpture and mixed-media assemblage. He had an extraordinary ability to see possibility in things other people discarded, transforming scrap metal, electronic components, tin cans and other found materials into work that could be playful, beautiful and pointed.
That sensibility made Cleve very much at home at the Washington Glass School, where he took welding classes. Our friendship extended well beyond the studio. We talked frequently about public art, fabrication and, particularly, how monuments and civic artworks tell history: who is represented, whose accomplishments are celebrated, and whose experiences can disappear from the story.
I encouraged Cleve to participate in the 2012 Artomatic in Crystal City, and we remained friends through the years. His commitment to making art from reclaimed materials, to questioning accepted narratives and to using art as a means of engagement feels especially connected to the values that have shaped the Washington Glass School.
Jude’s new book brings the remarkable breadth of Cleve’s work together for the first time. I’m grateful to have played a small part in it—and very happy to finally be holding a copy in my hands.
Cleve Overton – His Life and Art is a 260-page volume featuring more than 200 full-color images documenting Cleve’s art and life. Link to Cleve’s website and book: Cleve Overton Mixed Media Artist