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About His Rice and Indigo Series
In his current series of work, the
artist searches for an understanding of a cultural past and enduring cultural legacy involving the people, the land, and the fascinating political history of the South Carolina and Georgia Sea Islands. He follows in the
tradition of Eldzier Cortor, and other African American artists who traveled to the Sea Islands for creative inspiration, and he shares the fascination of anthropologists and folklorists who have studied the unique cultural
heritage of the Gullah-Geechee people who call the Sea Islands home.
McCloud’s point of departure is the particular form of agrarian economy that developed in the low country of South Carolina. Rice, which was introduced
around 1680, and later indigo, the crop from which indigo dye is made, were imported from West Africa and flourished in the marshy tidewater area, fueling the impressive economic rise of the low country economy and making its
inhabitants among the wealthiest in North America. The extraordinary performance of the low country economy, however, was inextricably bound to African slavery.
McCloud carefully avoids a realist tendency to document the
people and culture, though he is quite capable of working in a narrative vernacular. His studies shine a spotlight on how elements survive, thrive and influence other cultures in the new world. He does this through the visual
metaphors of rice, indigo and cotton and deftly guides his progression from the contemplation of the agrarian roots to other aspects of African survivals or African retention, which include language patterns and even the
metalwork in the graveyard decoration.
McCloud’s “gate” series (shown below) is inspired by the legendary Charleston, blacksmith Philip Simmons whose decorative ironwork decorate many prominent Charleston homes, churches
and public places.
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