{"id":3678,"date":"2021-03-10T13:23:54","date_gmt":"2021-03-10T21:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogschapman.wpenginepowered.com\/collections\/2021\/03\/10\/carla-jay-harris\/"},"modified":"2021-03-10T13:23:54","modified_gmt":"2021-03-10T21:23:54","slug":"carla-jay-harris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.chapman.edu\/collections\/2021\/03\/10\/carla-jay-harris\/","title":{"rendered":"Carla Jay Harris"},"content":{"rendered":"

In honor of Woman’s History Month, we are highlighting some of the work acquired by the Escalette Collection of Art<\/a> this year as part of the Engaging the World: Leading the Conversation\u00a0<\/a>on the Significance of Race Initiative.<\/a><\/p>\n

Carla Jay Harris is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice includes photography, installation, collage, and drawing.\u00a0Harris\u2019s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at the California African American Museum, CA; the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, CA; the Southern, Charleston, SC; Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, NY; and the Museum of Fine Arts Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. She has been the beneficiary of several grants and fellowships, including the Hoyt Scholarship, Resnick Fellowship, and a grant from the Pasadena Art Alliance. Harris completed undergraduate coursework at the School of Visual Arts in New York, received her Bachelor\u2019s degree with distinction from the University of Virginia, and her MFA from UCLA in 2015. She lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.<\/p>\n

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Carla Jay Harris, Ways of Gods<\/em>, hand embellished archival digital print, 2020. Purchased with funds from the Ellingson Family.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Carla Jay Harris’ most recent body of work entitled Celesital Bodies\u00a0<\/em>was inspired by her experience growing up as a “third culture kid.” As the child of a military officer, Harris spent most of her childhood living outside the United States, primarily in Germany and Italy. Othered on account of race, language, culture and nationality, Harris’ “surreal” childhood made her aware of the fundamental impact that physical and physiological environments have on one’s sense of belonging. Living in places that emphasized difference, Harris naturally gravitated towards mythology because of the way it highlighted humanity’s shared fears, desires, and need for understanding.<\/p>\n

“Throughout history, mythology has served humankind’s need to understand its surroundings, nature and society. Through myth-making I have been able to tap into a sense of belonging that extends from a connection to universal cultural concerns and narratives.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n